Walk the World
by aorin
Summary: Upon finding his guardian deity kidnapped, Bak embarked on a full-out manhunt to retrieve her back. The one returned to him however wasn't quite the same deity he had remembered though...
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hello everyone, sorry for the extremely long first chapter. I had to admit I had never intended for this to be so lengthy and at some point, I don't even know if I hate or love this chapter (I suppose it is a love-hate thing if I can put up with it for so long). This is my first offering to this fandom and I hope that this project would work out eventually.

So, I hope you enjoy the read as much I enjoyed writing it and reviews are always appreciated.

P.S: Bak's name is written as 'Bak Chang', the way it was stated in his character profile. As for For, I've written it as 'Fou' to avoid confusion, while Won's name remain as 'Won'.

oo0oo

Walk the World

- Prologue -

oo0oo

"Master Bak, please calm down!" wailed the tall, elderly man who was trailing behind the cloud of dust that the younger man had kicked off while marching down the corridor.

His pleas fell onto a pair of deaf ears as the shorter man continued to perform a one-man rhinoceros stampede, violently knocking anything and everything that stood in his way. Innocent bystanders were sent, visibly, flying off at all directions like scattered bowling pins. Those who were alert enough managed to narrowly scoot out of danger's way, while others… well, many others would soon complain about severe backaches for days.

Who would have thought such a tiny midget could pack that much of a punch?

"Calm down?" Bak huffed incredulously. He swung his gaze around and shot Won a disbelieving glare as though he couldn't believe that his most loyal manservant had just suggested something so outrageous. "How can you expect me to calm down when Komui infiltrated my Branch, disrupted the peace, tricked my subordinates, stole my confidential documents and kidnapped Fou during my absence? That crazy lunatic just openly sabotaged me and you want me to sit back and smile!"

In fact, truth to be told, smiling was pretty much the last thing that Bak did for the past week. Ever since he returned to the Asia Branch one week ago, all tired and tattered from his obligatory visit to South East Asia for official business, there was a permanent scowl carved on his face.

It all began about a month ago, when Bak received some updates from the South East Asia subdivision, vital information that were so important that it dictated him to leave the Branch on an unavoidable two week business trip. One that the young man wasn't entirely keen of, but nonetheless, the workaholic and Chang clan pride in him decreed that the matter was far too important to be left in the hands of incompetent subordinates. After spending two gruelling weeks rocking between the backwaters municipals and suffering sea-sickness on the raging South China Sea, he was only too glad to return home.

It can also be said that despite being awfully bushed, beaten, dirty and wearied down to the last bone, Bak was in rather high spirits and was practically skipping on his journey back even though it was past midnight. As he made his merry way towards the main entrance, he could almost envisage his upcoming warm bubble bath, the appetizing full course dinner and the comfortable, feather-soft king-size bed waiting for him just beyond the wall.

But alas, instead of being greeted by his annoying, tom-boyish spiritual guardian, who would normally rush out to knee him in the gut for waking her up from her precious sleep at an ungodly hour; he found himself face to face with the most pathetic looking door that he had ever seen.

Ares Teena Dloe Gynosan P. Ruporson Gear Amadeus the 5th. Or more commonly known as the high strung, misanthropic gatekeeper of the Black Order Headquarters.

Needless to say, all his dreams of relaxation and rest swirled down the proverbial drain at the sight of the monstrosity. On the spot where the entrance that hosted the soul of his guardian deity used to be, stood 6500 tonne of atrocity blissfully snoring and suckling away like a well-fed baby. Recovering from his initial state of shock and eyesore, the first few questions that managed to generate across Bak's mind was: what the hell is this, who put him there, what's going on and…

Where is Fou?

Without wasting another moment, he forcefully knocked at the base of the door, boorishly waking the slumbering gatekeeper. He demanded an immediate answer from the door-in-question (or the questionable door), who only spared him nothing more than a sceptical, sleepy gaze with his freakish yellow eyes along with a massive yawn.

To that, Bak had taken great offence. As far as he was concerned, no one in the world was ever permitted to belittle _the Great_ Bak Chang, especially not one unsightly gatekeeper with zero manners and an ugly face to match. With the exception of Fou, who he really had no power to lord over, he was generally unaccustomed to the idea of being ignored and brushed aside like some kind of nobody.

But this freakish door had broken all prior records. Not only had it rudely ignored all Bak's enquiries, it also had the nerve to deny him entrance to his own residence even after Bak revealed his identity and justified himself. With its freakish voice, Ares Teena had explained that it was his sacred duty (to which Bak snorted in response) and that he had received specific strict orders to inspect every single soul who wished to enter through these gates. In his own words -- There were to be no exceptions, not even for someone who proclaims himself to be Branch Chief Bak (which in its turn makes it even mooooore suspicious).

What came to follow was a pretty traumatic experience for Bak that would probably haunt him till the end of his days.

As part of the Akuma-examination procedure, Ares Teena first scrutinized Bak like a prisoner on a death row, scanning him from the tips of his hair to the ends of his nails with his freakish glowing eyes and then, without any pre-warning, proceeded to X-ray every single fibre in him to ascertain that he was not distantly related to one fat, bouncing Earl. Perhaps it was an unlucky day for him, because Bak soon (to his dismay) found himself being viciously rejected from entry.

Bak completely forgotten he had Akuma blood stained on his overcoat.

After a rather arduous and lengthy explanation which involved an embarrassing amount of cooing to pacify the panic-stricken gatekeeper, who was blubbering and bawling out his eyes while screaming for his mother in fright, Bak finally managed to convince Ares Teena that there was a mistake in the inspection due to the Akuma blood tainted clothes he was wearing. Inevitably, Bak was forced to strip off every single piece of clothing material on his body, leaving nothing more than the barest of bare essentials covering only the pivotal manly regions for the sake of common decency.

In short, his underwear.

Of course, when Bak finally did manage to get pass Ares Teena later – who was a little too pink for his comfort – in nothing but his bare skin and yellow chequered boxers, his grand entrance was welcomed by a mob of (scared, angry, sobbing but mostly hysterical) subordinates armed with sharpened pitchforks, musty brooms and smelly old shoes, while aiming their provisional weapons at him with hostility. An army of Finders even surrounded him in a protective circle and pointed their glaring talismans at him; the bright lights almost blinded him permanently.

As the leader of the Branch, the knowledge that his subordinates would fight tooth and nail to defend the Branch from the Akuma attack even when they knew it would be a losing battle had almost brought emotional tears to Bak's eyes. Under different circumstances, where Bak wasn't the center of much unwanted attention, he would have clapped his hands and sang songs of praises to their indestructible courage and valour against the evil forces, but in his current predicament, he couldn't even bring himself to smile and his only thought was when he get out of this mess, he was going to put all of them permanently out of employment.

Eventually, the pandemonium died off, after Bak walked out of the talisman spotlight with nothing so much as a scratch on his bare skin. It didn't take long before his dumbfounded subordinates realised that they made a grave error in mistaking their boss for being a bloodthirsty Akuma and in the wake of their blunder, dropped down to their knees to beg forgiveness.

Apparently, his subordinates only received a warning that they were under attack but had not been updated on the proceedings that were going on outside after the initial alarm. And if the false alarm wasn't enough to make them jump out of their skin, the sight of their boss striding in his _almost_ all naked glory had no doubt made them believed that the world had come to an end.

In spite of everything, Bak only gave a Millennium Earl-like smile and asked one question.

"Who took Fou away and messed up the security system?"

To which, the entire Branch replied one single name in unison.

Without much ado, Bak had stomped away from the precinct and headed straight for his office. After what felt like eternity (though it was actually less than five minutes), Bak reappeared with a set of clean uniform, tidy hair and a _very_ surly face. Standing behind him like a faithful shadow was Won, who single-handedly carried four large brown suitcases, three travelling trunks and two train tickets.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where was Bak heading to or what he would eventually do when he got there.

"Today will be the day that I will personally rip out all that curly hair from his head. Mark my words, Won, I will if it's the last thing I do!" Bak announced loudly and everyone within the hearing perimeter put their hands up to guard their hair and scampered away like frightened chickens.

To punctuate his point and unwavering determination, Bak turned his head around to give Won a steely stare, his gray eyes blazing with a maniacal glint that one usually find in the eyes of sadistic serial killers. To his pleasure, he found his elderly manservant shaking his head in a resigned manner as though he had given up in stopping his young master and Bak smirked evilly to himself, gratified that Won's resolve had finally caved in.

Suddenly, Won jerked his head up, his eyes wide with shock and he shouted, "Master Bak, look out!"

It was too late. With a loud bang, Bak had collided into something solid with the force of a runaway train. The powerful impact had threw both parties, who were speeding down the corridor from different directions off balance and being the smallest of the lot, Bak soon found himself buried under the weight of a few men who were larger and way heavier than him.

"Geroff me!" muffled Bak, his face flattened to the ground beneath the human pyramid.

"Johnny, please get up quickly, I think I'm sitting on something," ordered a voice who sounded suspiciously like Reever Wenhamm, the Science Division's Section Chief. "That and you guys are cutting off my breathing circulation."

"I can't, Section Chief, not unless Tup roll over," answered Johnny, his voice more feeble than usual as though there was something heavy crushing his lungs. "Tup, you really need to cut down on those chips!"

"Hey, keep my weight out of this," snarled Tup, and though Bak couldn't see what was going on above him, he felt an increase of weight after one of them wiggled violently. "I can barely move with two more people shifting on top of me."

"Master Bak!" The desperate voice of his manservant came from somewhere in front of him and with all the might he could possibly summon, Bak twisted his head and his gaze met the weeping face of Won, who was crouching on the floor to level with him. "Are you all right?"

"Zu I zeem bine chu yu?" Bak forced out weakly, he felt faint and his vision was blurring rapidly. "Won, zu zomezing an ged teesh bools orf me."

"Immediately, sir!"

Bak heard a beast-like howl, felt a gush of strong wind and then, the crushing weight above him instantly disappeared. Thank the Gods for having a Kung-Fu master in his permanent entourage. Breathing in relief, Bak attempted to roll off his stomach but found that he couldn't due to the numbness in his limbs and he was unable to move anything except his fingers and toes. Won then gently pushed his body over, allowing him to face skywards, propped his neck on his forearm and draped a soft warm cloth over his forehead.

Peeking from beneath the damp cloth, he saw many members of the Science Division helping out Reever and his team to collect the scattered papers that were strewn all over the floor. Reever himself was picking up stray papers with one hand while supporting his back with the other as though he was suffering acute rheumatism, and next to him, Tup was clubbing Johnny on the head with a stack of papers for implying that he was overweight.

As though sensing the intense observation, the type that a prey would feel when they were being watched, Reever spun around and his eyes fell on the fallen man. He squint his eyes to focus better and Bak plucked the cloth of his head and threw it away, giving Reever a full view of his enraged face. Upon recognition, Reever gave a friendly wave that didn't match with the tight why-are-you-here smile on his face as he strode over to greet Bak.

"Welcome, Branch Chief Bak." Shifting the papers over to one arm, Reever held out his free hand to Bak, in a gentlemanly gesture to help the shorter man to his feet. "I'm truly sorry for the accident but we really didn't expect anyone, especially you to be _lurking_ around the Science Division's corridors at this hour of the day."

"Dispense with the pretence of ceremonies, Reever," snapped Bak harshly, slapping away the outstretched hand and pushed himself off the ground, casting off all status and formalities. "I'm not here in the name of peace so if you know what's good for you, you get out of my way." He added acidly while he dusted himself and tidied his hair with his fingers, all the while, scanning the room for the man who was the bane of his existence.

There was no sign of Komui.

"Where is he!?"

"Who?"

"That public menace!" Bak growled tersely, his irritation increasing by the milliseconds.

"Oh yes, the Supervisor," Reever drawled slowly while muttering under his breath. "_Figures_."

"I'll only repeat this once more." He drew in a breath and hissed dangerously, poison dripping on every word. "Where. Is. He?"

"That's the thing, we have no idea. Probably the usual, malingering around until lunch break, in which he'll definitely show up on time!" Reever said half-jokingly but Bak was aware of the tint of annoyance in his tone. "In the mean time, how can we help you?" Reever raised the question politely, though Bak had a strong feeling it was more polite version of – _what has the Supervisor done now?_

"There is nothing you can do unless you want to die on his behalf. This is a private dispute between the both of us and you will do well to keep your nose out of this."

"Well, I must admit that our Supervisor acts bratty 99% of the time and I would love nothing more than to kick his lazy…," Reever stopped before revealing more of his frustration, "but in all honesty, he's actually quite harmless, you know," the Section Chief seemed to have problem believing his own words, "unless the matter involves his younger sister in any way, I'm absolutely positive that he did nothing really damaging— recently," he added as an afterthought.

"Nothing damaging? Hah!" Bak said with a jeering laugh. "Shall I proceed to break your little cocoon of fantasy, or would you rather continue to live in a world of delusion, Mr Section Chief?"

"Master Bak...," Won reprimanded lightly, placing a hand over Bak's shoulder.

"Forgive my terrible manners," he apologised nonchalantly, shrugging off the hand and looking away. "I don't usually behave with such imprudence but my patience runs thin whenever it concerns tha— that living abomination."

"Don't mention it, the Supervisor doesn't exactly draw the best quality out of people," confessed Reever, flicking a gallant wave, "but I still stand firm on my opinion, he couldn't have possibly upset you that badly."

Bak narrowed his brows and glowered at Reever, thinking how naive and misinformed this man was to ever place his trust in that curly haired disaster. It did not matter if Reever had one of the best brains in the Black Order, being an exceptional scientist and Komui's right hand man; this man was clearly not a good judge of character. Keeping his anger (and fist) in check while holding his patience, Bak slowly shared his ill-fated experience as Komui's victim.

"Sometime ago, _your_ Supervisor went to the Branch…," he started.

"Yes, of course. About one and half month ago, the Supervisor set off to the Asia Branch alone to perform an important task. I vaguely recalled that when he returned, he mentioned something along the lines of being disappointed in missing you by just a few minutes." While Reever's voice was pleasant, it was obvious from his tone that he considered it a divine blessing that the troublesome Branch Chief and the even more troublesome Supervisor never met. "It would seem that you've just left for South East Asia the moment he arrived. What a strange coincidence," he mused.

In Bak's opinion, there was no such thing as strange coincidence wherever Komui was concerned. It was more likely that the crafty, curly fox orchestrated the entire scheme, purposely arriving after Bak had taken off so that no one would be there to stop him from causing mischief. By the time Bak had returned, he would be back at the Headquarters again as though nothing had ever happened. Voicing his thoughts, Bak continued impatiently, "That was no coincidence. From the very beginning, I have never received any notice about Komui's visit to the Asia Branch, for if I did, I would have delayed my trip to sto— receive him."

"No prior notice?! But the Supervisor said…," Reever faltered, thought twice of his answer and then shook his head, almost in denial. "Perhaps there was a slight miscommunication along the way – long distance phone calls have never been reliable – and I'm sure this must have been a dreadful inconvenience to you," he smiled amiably with the saintly radiance and patience of a Buddha. "But surely that isn't enough to sentence him to death; after all, he did it for the benefit of all."

"What benefit? That moron did nothing but single-handedly wrecked up the Branch's security system and he…," Bak gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, "… he took Fou away without my permission."

Reever paused, the sunshine-like smile still pasted across his face and he remained that way for quite a while as though stunned still. Painful minutes ticked away and when he finally broke from his reverie, he spoke in a spookily creepy voice which sounded like a faraway echo. "Without your permission, you say?"

Bak just arched a well-trimmed eyebrow and gave Reever a sardonic look.

As sudden as an Akuma attack, the smile was wiped off Reever's face and his normally genial features morphed into a diabolical look that would give nightmares to children. If Bak wasn't as livid as Reever, he would have probably recoiled in fright at Reever's rare display of anger. Ignoring the fact that he was in the presence of a guest and hundreds of subordinates, Reever bellowed in a booming voice that rang through the hallway, "SUPERVISOR!!"

And he sprinted off, dashing away like a madman on fire, bumping subordinates, bystanders, onlookers and practically anyone who was foolish enough to stand in his way (later that evening, Reever would receive a personal _vocal_ complaint and some fist shaking from the old Matron for delivering more out-of-war patients to her hands). Obviously, Reever, gullible as ever, was once again hoodwinked his superior officer.

A sinister smirk stretched across Bak's face, clearly delighted at the addition of an unexpected ally in his quest and following suit, he flexed his shoulder muscles and gave chase, trampling over the long line of bodies that were lying on the ground with not even the slightest bit of guilt on his face.

After climbing up a few flight of stairs (because they were too impatient to wait for the elevator), their journey came to end when they found themselves in front of Komui's private laboratory, panting and wheezing as though they've just completed a cross-country marathon. Even though it was actually Reever who was leading the way; to the outsiders, it seemed as though the two chiefs were trying to outrace each other on 'Mission Kill Komui'.

All the while, Bak wondered if the Section Chief was purposely withholding Komui's whereabouts earlier before his outburst or was he truly as innocent as he declared himself to be. Judging from the way Reever was currently gnashing his teeth, Bak surmised that this man was guiltless and he was currently relying on his killer instincts to locate Komui. Before long, both men rolled up their sleeves, exchanged a mutual glance of understanding and together they stepped back and threw their weight at the iron door simultaneously.

"Open up, we know you are in there, you liar!" Reever cried, ramming the door with the force akin to a bulldozer, while Bak abused the door handle, placing one foot on the frame and wrenching the handle with both hands.

"There's no use in hiding, come out now and your death will be less painful!" Bak stated, tightening his grip on the handle, inwardly weighing the one million and one macabre ways to remove Komui's existence off the planet.

In the end, Bak decided that nothing would grant him more satisfaction than strangling Komui to death with his bare hands.

Ten minutes of continual door barraging later and a mouthful of blasphemes, both men plunged to the floor out of exhaustion, their hands red, their feet bruised, their voice cracking and their determination slightly abated. The metal door stood shadowing over them, not budging even an inch after their incessant banging, unmoving and unwavering like a solid rock, its still form mocking their tremendous effort. Of course, there was no response from within either but some gut instinct in the pit of Bak's stomach tells him that Komui was indeed inside.

No doubt laughing at them.

"Section Chief, Branch Chief Bak," said a voice and Bak looked up to find Johnny, "if I may have a word," he ventured, the voice of reason representing the Science Division who were hurdling behind him. "I really don't think threatening or any other brutal methods are going to get us anywhere. You know how sensitive the Supervisor can be."

"You've got a better idea?" Bak and Reever chorused, daring them to suggest.

"How about just knocking?" someone proposed from the massive crowd and most of the members nodded ardently in agreement.

For the next five minutes, there was a silent staring competition between the Branch Chief and the Science Division (excluding Reever), with the former performing a cynical frown with folded arms and legs on the floor while the latter pleading with a hundred pair of earnest and begging eyes. At long last, the Science Division claimed victory – secretly high-fiving and congratulating each other behind their backs – when Bak looked away and stood up, his face as sour as a bitter gourd as he clenched his fist and rapped at the door softly several times.

There was a tense silence. Everyone was holding their breath, clasping their hands together in a praying motion as the moments passed in aching silence, each second counting down in a ticking time bomb manner. Just when everything seemed to have failed, there was a click on the handle and the metal door creak opened with one eye peeking from the tiny gap.

"Who called…," came a lazy, sleep-infused voice echoing from the gap at the door. The man inside was holding a rumpled table cloth which served as make-shift blanket with one hand, while clutching a poorly plastered blue coffee mug with a comical bunny print with the other. He yawned, brushing off some stray hair, which was curlier than usual, from his eyes and pushed up his glasses with the end of his palm.

Nobody dared to answer him as the Branch Chief waited for the drowsy man to acknowledge his presence.

Finally, the man rubbed his eyes to clear away the last vestiges of sleep and as if for the first time, he noticed there was actually someone standing outside his door. Adjusting his glasses, he peered at the shorter man's face intently, as though trying to register the identity of this angry-looking stranger in his mind and it took a couple of seconds before a look of dawning recognition spread across his sleepy features.

"Ah—," he had said simply, and then he slammed the door loudly at Bak's face, subsequently signing his death warrant.

Right there and then, Bak probably forgotten that his true purpose of storming the Headquarters was to rescue Fou from the hands of a certain evil mad scientist. But sadly, all those thoughts were extinguished from his mind and all he wanted to see right now was said evil mad scientist lying pathetically dead in a pool of blood. He resumed to tearing down the mighty door, laying fist after fist, prodding kick after kick, adamant to break into the Frankenstein-like laboratory.

His attempt, however, was as pitiable as a scrawny cat meowing in the rain.

"You either come out or I'll… I'll break down the door!" Bak yelled a hollow threat, pounding and kicking the iron door vehemently. Realising that Komui was probably going to lock himself in, he turned his attention back to the Science Division, who cringed and edged away from him as he asked sharply, "You have anything that I can use to blow up this door?"

"Er… We have strong explosives, powerful enough to make this building crumble…," Reever quickly clamped a hand over Johnny's mouth before he could reveal the location. As much as Reever would like to join the Branch Chief in his crusade to murder Komui, blowing up the entire Headquarters was not the best of solutions… especially if they were all still in there.

"Wonderful, hand it over," Bak stretched out his hand gleefully.

"Unfortunately, it is useless," Reever said as he stepped forward and spoke on behalf of his subordinate. "The door to the Supervisor's lab is made out of an unusual type of material – Komurinium, a kind of formidable substance which can withstand even the most devastating of explosions. It is made in a way that nothing outside can ever breach the barrier and vice versa, nothing can come out either, it is the safest wall in the kingdom…," he paused, horrified as the knowledge sank in, "… oh dear."

Oh dear indeed… that sneaky blackguard, Bak thought. Obviously, Komui designed the door as a mean of self-protection against revengeful folks whom he had offended in that past. People such as his glorious self, Bak added, swiping his feet towards the door once more.

"You can't hide in there forever!" A wave of doubt swept over him, "He can't, can he?"

"I hardly ever enter his personal lab nor do most of us here, so we won't know how long he can last on his own in there. Lenalee is currently out on a mission and the Exorcists are usually not conscious long enough, being scared out of their wits to even take notice, but from what I've gathered, he has stocked up enough rations to last him one year…," Reever said, scratching the back of his head almost uncertainly. "Maybe two years."

"You have got to be jok—ooff!"

All of a sudden, the door behind him swung open, hitting Bak hard on his back and throwing him off balance. Arms flailing, Bak propelled forward and landed on top of Reever – who didn't react swift enough to catch him… or dodge him – thus saving him from kissing the floor again.

"Can't a gentleman have some time to groom himself?" said Komui, grumbling as he adjusted the beret on his head. "People these days have no respect for the privacy of others…," he muttered, polishing his silver Rose Cross emblem, "…and even less manners to speak of."

Before Komui bolted the door, Bak caught a glimpse of red and purple on the surgical table and his heart careened into a sudden halt. Mathematically, Komui and surgical instruments were a dangerous combination and if his (failed) inventions – Komurin (and its chain of disaster prone robots) – were any indication, it usually meant trouble.

Big trouble.

"Why hello Bak-chan. What a pleasant surprise to see you here," Komui greeted in an overly saccharine voice, matched with a big Cheshire grin that stretched from ear to ear when he saw the shorter man. If it's even humanly possible, his grin stretched even further when he noticed the human entanglement they form on the floor, what with Bak slouching atop of Reever's lap in a rather _suspicious_ position.

Holding his cup of steaming coffee like a gleaming trophy, Komui continued to observe the situation with much interest but never bothering to lift a finger to help. One had to admire and salute to his courage and sunny disposition, especially for someone who was on the receiving end of dagger and gunshots glares from two very angry men.

"What surprise?" Reever shouted and between the two, he jolted to his senses first and quickly pushed Bak off his body. Climbing to his feet, he jabbed a furious thumb back at Bak, "You should have expected this fiasco after what you've done to him. I mean, honestly, did you expect him to sit still and do nothing. No, wait, before we get to that, did you _even_ bother to tell him that you will be arriving at the Asia Branch?"

"Well, since I will be arriving there personally, I see no reason to inform Bak-chan about my little visit. Why should we waste time and phone bills when we will be in each other presence shortly. Which also reminds me…," Komui rub his fingers over his chin in a contemplative manner and turn his gaze to Bak, "…how did you get here so quickly? Doesn't it normally take you minimally two weeks to get here on the Trans-Siberian railway?"

Actually, it usually took Bak one month to travel back and forth between the Headquarters and the Asia Branch on the Trans-Siberian railway, which was also the reason why Bak's visits to the Headquarters were limited to only a few times a year. But he didn't usually mind the hassle of voyaging across three continents if it meant he would be breathing the same air with the girl of his dreams, namely one female Exorcist, Lenalee Lee. Besides, it wasn't all that bad, considering that Bak was man of supreme status and had been brought up like prince; he would never opt to travel on anything that was less than first-class.

That was if he had a choice.

"We took the livestock cargo train," explained Bak, trying very hard not to recall the horrible experience of travelling in close proximity with a train filled with cow braying, goat bleating, chickens clucking and lots of animal manure for a week. "It takes but half of the usual time to get here, one week maximum, but the journey was rather… _disagreeable_."

"Oh--," Komui wrinkled his nose and pinched it with two fingers, his lips were upturned and he inched away noticeably, putting a considerable distance between himself and Bak. "No wonder you smell funny."

"And whose fault was that?!" Bak stepped nearer as Komui scurried further away, his free hand making a shooing gesture at the shorter man.

"Now, now, let's not start pointing accusing fingers all around, Bak-chan. Put the past behind you and let the bygones be bygones," advised Komui, in the most magnanimous voice he could muster, although from the way he was fending off Bak like a smelly pest, it truly contradicted the sincerity of his words.

"I will, after I'm done with you," Bak growled, his hands curved into a claw-like shape as he closed in onto Komui in a predatory manner, cornering the Supervisor to the metal door.

"How was your trip down to South East Asia?" Komui changed the topic before Bak could get any closer. "I heard that you went down to Malaya for an important mission, something that only the Branch Chief of the Asia Branch can do."

Bak paused, his fist suspended in mid air as his ears perked at the unintentional praise, the workaholic persona in him kicking the revengeful one aside and he coughed, straightened his back in a professional manner. "Well, if you must know, my journey took me to one of those newly-formed towns in Malaya that were part of the British colonization in South East Asia, which automatically makes it part of my jurisdiction," he added the last bit with pride. "Their expansion plans include the immigration of Chinese labourers to work at the newly established mines. Of course, the miners are bound by contract to work under life-threatening situations which led to the death of many men, and the grievance of the mourners serves as the best breeding spot for—," he stopped, realising he was duped, "—the devil am I telling you all these!? I'm didn't come all the way here to report about my recent dealings. Komui, you have something that's rightfully mine and I'm here to retrieve it."

"And what might that be?" Komui enquired, feigning innocence.

Drawing a deep breath, Bak attempted to appease his flaring temper by slowly counting to ten, regrettably, he barely reached the count of two when he lost it. Pointing at the door, he roared, "FOU!"

"Ah—of course," Komui leisurely threw a glance to the metal door behind him while putting the mug to his lips, taking a long sip and sighed in contentment. "Now why haven't I thought of that?"

Oh, if it wasn't for the years of good breeding instilled in him (and Won's restraining hand on his shoulder), Bak might have just snatched Komui's scalding coffee and poured it all over his head and pants. But instead, he settled for a sour face while massaging his knuckles, deciding that he should first reclaim Fou, and then, he will just end the four-eyed monster's life in a gruesome way which befits him. Let it be known to mankind that one does not simply mess with the prestigious Chang clan.

Especially Bak.

"Komui, I shall not even attempt to mince words today. I know you have never abided to the norms of society or even have the inclination to ever do so, and while I can never understand how such behaviour could ever function in a normal society, I have not made it a habit to guess what goes on inside that daft head of yours. Heaven knows I've been kind enough to put up with an unhealthy share of your idiotic pranks!" preached Bak with a sort of self-righteousness that only martyrs have. "_However_, the silly stunt which you pulled at the Asia Branch the other day is unforgivable even for my incredibly compassionate standards."

"Hmm…," Komui tipped his head to the side and Bak was almost pleased with the silence, "I have no idea what you are talking about?"

Someone in the room was going to die.

"I mean, I've been always been a good boy and I don't know what have I done to upset you? In truth, it is you, Bak-chan, who have hurt my feelings," Komui bobbed a pair of puppy eyes and stuck out a quivering lip and Bak could only gap back in disbelief. "How could you say I've prank you when only recently have I gone all the way to the Asia Branch to lend you a helping hand."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but since when has kidnapping qualified as help?" If Bak didn't hear it from Komui himself, he probably wouldn't believe that anyone could be that shameless. He always knew Komui was extremely thick-skinned but this man must have broken new records. "I could forgive you for many things but kidnapping Fou, our Branch's security mainframe, is not one of it."

"Kidnapped? Oh dear me, how could you accuse me of such a horrid crime? Clearly Branch Chief Bak here was dearly misinformed," Komui said sadly as he regarded Bak with a pitying look, the type that a saint would offer to a beggar and Bak was tempted to plant a series of fists into Komui's smug face. "But at any rate, I did not kidnap Miss Fou. She agreed to return with me to the Headquarters and given me her complete consent on this matter. If you don't believe me, you can ask around, everyone at the Asia Branch can bear witness."

"Maybe you are the one missing a point here, Supervisor," Bak spat the last word venomously like it was something vile. "I am the man with the highest authority at the Asia Branch and such an important decision should have first met with my approval."

With that, he crossed his arms, puffed his chest and straightened his back, giving himself a few imaginary inches to match with Komui's towering height. To his dismay, Komui leaned back at the door languidly, openly spacing out and seemed to be more enthralled by the wisp of smoke billowing from his coffee than Bak's formal declaration.

"Pay attention!"

"Wha? Huh? Well, yes and no actually," Komui answered in a singsong voice. "If we play by the rule book, I agree wholeheartedly that your presence is mandatory for such an important decision. But unfortunately, your rather _untimely_ absence had deflected the common rule and in the turn of events where you are absent, the power of decision will automatically be transferred to the next person of authority, meaning to say, your second-in-command." And then, Komui's features eased into a million-dollar smile, "The man in charge that day had been very cooperative albeit looking a little _overwhelmed_ by my sudden appearance and magnificence, and in honour of my rank, he granted me full power to carry out my duties with the least of interference."

In another context, under a different name, Komui's actions would be branded as dictatorship, absolute tyranny and abuse of power! Of course his second-in-command was overwhelmed (the appropriate term was scared to submission). Who wouldn't be when you come face to face with a cackling crackpot holding a gigantic driller in his hands.

"So you see, Bak-chan, everything went according to the right protocols, rules, laws, whatever-you-may-call-it and you've fretted over nothing," added Komui with a wink.

"Fine! Given the unnatural circumstances, you might have been allowed to commandeer all the proper proceedings without me," conceded Bak reluctantly as Komui grinned, but he stamped his feet to indicate that the discussion wasn't over. "But honestly, if the Headquarters wanted a better guardian to their entrance, you should have created one of your own. What gives you the right to abduct ours and switch her place with your lousy gatekeeper?"

"Whoever said anything about replacing both guardians?" Komui exclaimed in horror, his eyes wide and he pressed his hands to his mouth. "No matter how important the Headquarters is, I would never, ever, ever, _ever_ take Miss Fou away from the Asia Branch. It's inhuman. I might be the Supervisor of Black Order, but having Miss Fou forcefully removed from her station contradicts all principles of freedom rights. Nevertheless, Bak-chan, you misunderstand me once again, I only invited Miss Fou to the Headquarters so she may receive proper upgrading without any hindrance."

"Upgrading?" Bak parroted, obviously confused.

"Why yes. Shouldn't that be quite obvious from the very beginning?" Komui raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips in a way that schoolteachers normally would towards stupid students. "Or are you misinformed _again_?"

"She's perfectly fine as she is," Bak snarled through gritted teeth, riled up at Komui's indirect insult to the most revered family member of the Chang clan. If it hadn't been for his_ Amazingly Great and Wonderful_ great grandfather, the current Headquarters would not be here today, let alone the Asia Branch and this four-eye braggart would probably be stuck in some unknown ditch instead of putting on airs here. "How dare you even suggest that the Chang clan's invention is defective. In case you haven't realised, Fou has been the guardian deity and sole protector of our Branch even before the Headquarters was fully established. She also happens to be the penultimate creation of my great grandfather, using the best technology of his time to…."

"But that's not enough!" Komui cut in suddenly and his eyes darkened dangerously, his usual goofiness dispersed into an air of authority of one who leads the most powerful army in the world. "Do not misunderstand my intentions, for I do not doubt her abilities or your late great-grandfather's intelligence and in fact, after reading up on Miss Fou's blueprints, I daresay I have much to learn."

"But despite everything, the recent attack of the Level-3 Akuma at the Asia Branch has proved that even your grandfather's creation is unable to withstand against the change of time. The Millennium Earl grows in strength each day, creating more Akumas from the victims of sorrow and death – you should know best, your excursion to South East Asia was the best proof that his powers stretches beyond geographical boundaries. And frankly, it is only a matter of time before he raises his bloodthirsty army before us. We have to strengthen our own armaments, gear ourselves for whatever morbid future that he has prepared for us."

"I… I understand the need…," Bak stammered, slightly daunted by the sudden mood shift and the severity in Komui's face. "B… but I could have done it without your help."

"Perhaps, for as long as I've known you, I've never once doubted your intelligence to be superior to mine – your numerous breakthroughs in inventions are a solid testament to it – but I still hold the upper hand of having the best facilities and manpower in the Headquarters. Asia Branch might have been superior in terms of size and legacy but without doubt, the finest brains are gathered here. I have men to work around the clock on this project and we will obtain better and faster results compared to you working alone. I mean, just look around you Bak."

By now, almost all the Science Division members and various personnel from other departments had gathered in front of Komui's personal laboratory to watch the ultimate showdown between the two Chinese men. It almost killed Bak to admit it but for once, Komui had a point. Bak might have been born genius, a prodigious polymath, the blood descendant of powerful magicians and scientists, but as he was, in the end, a man and there was only so much one man can do alone.

Frustrated but not discouraged, Bak continued to defend his cause, "Then why did you steal all documents related to Fou? If you are so smart, as you say you are, you can make do without intruding into my private office and smuggling away the documents like a thief in the dark."

"I merely collected all the documents that I need," explained Komui with a tired sigh but not missing a beat. "With proper research, I might be able to fathom the basic workings, but nothing beats reading the original reports left by the creator and it would certainly speed up things on my part. I've already digested and researched all the information upon my return trip from China with Miss Fou and executed the upgrade as soon as I got back. We are making speedy progress, faster and better than we actually dared to hope for."

At that, Bak remained silent, not knowing what else to say, a feeling which was completely foreign to him. Ever articulate, he always managed to prevail in a debate with the least of effort, but now, he found his tongue knotting itself despite wanting to retaliate. If Komui had been a little more pompous about his achievements, Bak might have been fuelled to argue back. But ever since Bak started the row, Komui had been extremely sincere and patient with him and this was the one time in which, Bak who was being deliberately difficult.

In that sense, he felt _a little_ ashamed.

"I know how important Miss Fou is to the Asia Branch, which is why I've decided to upgrade her first, amongst all the projects that I could have embarked on. After all, you and all those in the Asia Branch can sleep soundly each night, knowing that Miss Fou is there to shield you from danger," he said solemnly but his eyes were unusually gentle. "The next two months without her guardianship will be tough for you but I must beseech you to bear with it. Mr Ares Teena might be a poor proxy but he's the best I can offer to the Asia Branch. I do hope you will appreciate my efforts and hasty decision."

"Still… you could have sent word. A letter, a note, a _darn_ phone call would have been sufficient," Bak protested adamantly, trying to find fault within reason. "You have no rights to spirit her away during my absence!"

"I also happened to realise that the both of us hardly see eye to eye under most circumstances. Which is why I did not seek to inform you beforehand for you will surely disagree with my decision," explained Komui sagely, looking at Bak straight in the eyes. "As you've said, you constantly indulged my demands no matter how preposterous they are, but Miss Fou… well, let's just say, she's an exception and you'd probably contest me till the end of the world before letting me take her away."

"I'm not that unreasonable." But what Komui said was no less than the truth. If Bak had known about Komui's plan earlier, he would have done everything in his power and beyond to foil it. This had nothing to do with his personal vendetta with Komui, it's just that the idea of Fou leaving her duties and the Branch was incomprehensible to Bak.

"Unreasonable, maybe not. But in Miss Fou own words: you can be more stubborn than an ass," Komui laughed at Bak's appalled face. Why? _Why_ did Fou have to embarrass him at every given opportunity (especially in front of his dreaded rival) was something that Bak would ponder till his dying day. Unexpectedly, Komui moved forward and placed a friendly hand on the shorter man's shoulder, and while Bak was visibly uncomfortable at the contact, he did not shrug it off. "I understand how much does Miss Fou means to you personally and that you are unwilling to part with her. She's a creation your great grandfather left you and she's been looking out for you ever since you can remember, naturally she is dear to you. Why, you even travelled across half of the world just to fetch her home."

"I…," Bak stuttered. "You misunderstand. I'm only concerned for the well-being of the Branch," he meant what he said. "It's not what you are thinking!" Truly.

But Komui smiled knowingly. "Nonetheless, you are here for her and it is the thought that counts."

"Komui…," Bak started, the harshness in his voice ebbing away. Honestly, Bak had never considered the tall man standing before him could be that understanding and sensitive. Sure, he was nothing short of a nuisance at times, but when it boils down to official business, he should place more trust in his superior officer to be serious and responsible. After all, as a leader himself, he had to be a role model to his younger subordinates, setting the right examples instead of throwing wild tantrums. Inwardly, he berated himself for misjudging Komui's character out of childish prejudice and jealousy.

"Right, Miss Fou and you is just exactly like me and…," Komui paused for dramatic effect, grinning for all it was worth and Bak was almost touched by Komui's gesture in equating his close bond with Fou to the one Komui shared with his beloved Lenalee. Bak swore that he would never, ever be clouded by prejudice towards this man again. He should have more tact, giving more credit to the person who might be his future brother-in-law and a genuine smile almost crept to his face when…

"My Komurin-chan!!!" Komui squealed with joy.

On second thoughts…

Bak felt as though he was slapped right across the face with a hot frying pan. How dare Komui liken Fou, a masterpiece of the Chang clan to that ridiculous, useless coffee-addict robot? Oh yes, Fou could be a pain at times and Bak would have more luck converting an Akuma into a Buddha than getting her to do what she was told.

But the point was Fou, despite her many flawed qualities and atrocious manners, did in fact performed a satisfactory job in securing the Branch's safety over the last century. She might not be Bak's choice of a perfect guardian but nevertheless she had never disappointed him. Komurin, on the other hand, had only brought ruin and damage to everywhere it landed. Not to mention, Bak had once been a victim to Komurin's prototype, back in the old days when Komui was still serving as a junior scientist at the Asia Branch.

All in all, comparing Fou to Komurin was a direct insult to Bak's dignity. And there were only so many insults Bak could cope in a day.

"Hand over the keys, Komui!" Bak ordered tersely, thrusting his hand rudely at Komui's face, almost knocking off the taller man's glasses and hitting his nose.

"Eh? Why should I?" asked Komui innocently as he gently pushed Bak's hand away from his face with his forefinger. "I'm not giving you anything, not unless you tell me why you want them. You can't just simply walk away with my possessions."

That two-faced hypocrite! One more word from the idiot and he's going to crawl away with more than a broken, bloodied nose. "Do you even need to ask?" he sneered.

"Er…," Komui seemed to muse over his answer and all of a sudden, he snapped his fingers loudly. "Oh, I get it. Silly me, it's so obvious," Komui clasped his palms over Bak's hands painfully and gazed at the shorter man with an impish twinkle in his eyes, "Clearly you want my keys so you can see Miss Fou in person." Again, Komui's presumptions eluded Bak's logic and ignoring the Branch Chief's arresting look, Komui continued earnestly, "I mean, all you want is to check if she's well-provided and taken care of, right?"

"Well, I…." That wasn't exactly the reason why Bak wanted to see her but Komui was so engrossed with his own assumptions that it didn't really matter.

"Oh, sometimes you just worry too much, Bak-chan. No wonder your hair grows thinner every time I see you," Komui squealed, playfully slapping Bak's shoulder and he flinched at both the comment and the pain. "But no worries, I can assure you that she's in good hands and faring well. As much as I'd like to reunite the both of you, for I'm sure you miss her badly, I'm afraid I can't let you see her yet. You see, the upgrade is in process and Miss Fou is currently in a delicate condition where she's unfit to receive any guests, including you, Bak-chan."

The crease between Bak's brows deepened: what did Komui meant by delicate condition? His powerful imagination went into an overdrive, his mind conceiving vivid images of Fou being experimented and operated on by a curly-haired psychotic scientist, accompanied with deafening maniacal laughter. A cold shiver rolled down his spine at the thought, "Good heavens, Komui, spare me of your excuses and let me see her."

Of course, being a natural romantic, Komui misinterpreted Bak's concern for something more… sentimental. "I understand your anxiety but I don't think it's a good idea. It's rather improper, you see, based on her condition now. Miss Fou is a girl, and girls don't like to be seen when they are unprepared. And personally, I'm highly against it, who knows what germs you might bring and it'd be terrible if she contracts…."

"For the last time, Komui, just shut up and hand me the keys," Bak interrupted curtly, having lost his patience to entertain Komui any further.

"Oh all right," Komui huffed impatiently, throwing his hands up in defeat. "God, you are so difficult to deal with."

Grudgingly, Komui stuffed his hands into his overcoat pocket and rummaged around for the key. After a while, he paused momentarily and then dug deeper, fishing out the contents – candy wrappers, a half-eaten chocolate bar, photos of Lenalee, free food vouchers, dry four leaves clovers, more photos of Lenalee, a mini sewing kit, ocean liner tickets, empty coffee bags, and, well, _even more _photos of Lenalee. But even after he emptied his infinite overcoat pocket, there was no sign of said key and Komui resumed his quest by checking his back pockets, front pockets, side pockets, hidden pockets, under his beret and inside his shoes and…

"Woops…!" Komui ended his search with a sheepish grin that was too much teeth and too little sincerity.

"What is it now?" Reever groaned impatiently in a much defeated tone. Bak kept mum, not having anything civil to say, only wishing that this prolonged nightmare would just end already.

"I think I left my keys inside," he admitted, quite unremorsefully. "Bak-chan, this is entirely your fault! If you haven't rushed me, I wouldn't have forgotten my keys."

No one actually knew why the Supervisor insisted on fanning the flames when it was quite obvious that the Branch Chief was about to combust out of anger. Earlier on, some of nosy scientists stayed out of curiosity, but later, most of them were preoccupied with placing money bets, in which Komui would once again triumph in weaselling his way out of trouble. But in the midst of everything, Bak had, surprisingly, earned many respects points from the audiences for not hacking the Supervisor into two or slit his wrist after everything he had went through. Won himself was rather proud of his short-fused master who somehow managed to suppress the killing intent.

It was truly admirable, especially when Won knew that his master's patience had long exceeded its limit and it was now hanging by a _thin_ invisible thread.

"Does someone – _anyone_ have a spare key?" Bak asked, his narrowed eyes scanning at all the spectators surrounding them. Exchanging glances amongst themselves, all of them shook their head in response.

"Of course they don't. It defeats the purpose of having private quarters if anyone apart from me has access to my room. I'm a delicate, refined young man who values my privacy, you know!" Komui pouted and shamelessly batted his eyelashes in a manner which challenged his true age and gender.

The thread of patience finally snapped.

Stepping forward, Bak roughly shouldered the Supervisor aside, who fell into Reever's arms, who dropped him to the ground without any sympathy. There was no room for civility between them, this was the end of the line and Bak didn't want to have anything to do with Komui any longer. Ignoring the wailing Supervisor on the floor, Bak gave the metal door several firm knocks and shook the door handle violently.

"Fou, are you in there?" he shouted. "If you are still alive, answer me!"

An eerie silence greeted Bak and he was almost convinced that Fou was dead when an annoyed girlish voice came from within the door, "Of course I'm alive, Baka-Bak."

"Good," Bak heaved a sigh of relief. At least, the voiced sounded like Fou even though it was slightly deeper than he remembered – must have been the thick layer of metal that's affecting the resonance of her tone – but there was no mistake as there's only one person in the world who would be this disrespectful towards him. He smiled, seemingly more pleased than he had ever been for the week, finally close to achieving his purpose. "Brilliant, now open the god-damned door!"

"No. Way." Fou declined, short and to the point.

"Excuse me," Bak thought he heard wrongly. Did Fou just openly defy his commands?

"Are you deaf, snot-face?" Fou asked, her voice growing more agitated and annoyed. "I said no, so pack your bags and go home. Beat it, I'm _very_ busy."

"Busy?" Bak wondered loudly. "About what?"

"My upgrade, you idiot," Fou stated the obvious with a jaded tone. "What else can it be?"

Oh, the nerve. "Don't even get me started about your upgrade. What were you thinking when you just shove off your responsibilities and ran off with a lunatic? Have you forgotten your duties to the Asia Branch, your oath to the Chang clan, your vows to my ancestors?" he reminded her, determined to make her feel guilty about her misbehaviour. Fou always had a soft spot whenever he brought up his great grandfather's name.

"I have not forgotten, you idiot," she answered, still refusing to open the door even at the mention of her creator. "If I didn't care about my duties, I won't even be here."

"Then do explain yourself, for I fail to comprehend your logic," Bak released the handle and threw a hand up in frustration. Bak thought Fou's words and actions contradict themselves, if she had been concerned about the Branch, she wouldn't have left without a word.

"You were always a bit slow," Fou muttered. It would have sounded affectionate but because it was Fou, Bak took it as an insult. "As Curly said earlier, and yes, I can hear you from here, loud and clear, you shrieking banshee, when that Level-3 attacked us, I couldn't even come close to scratching it and if it weren't for Allen's Innocence, we'd all be dead ducks by now. I don't know about you, Bak, but I don't want to be a sitting duck again for something even worse. I've been thinking about this for a while, and apparently Curly was the same too. So, when he showed up and told me about this upgrade plan, I just grab the chance."

"But you didn't have to take Komui's word. I know you best and I could have given you the upgrade you want!" Bak argued. "You should have at least told me about it."

"Don't be so naïve, Baka-Bak," she brushed him off casually. "You act like you are busier than Satan himself, one minute you are Malaya, and next you are in Mongolia, where would you ever find time to give me my upgrade? The next century?" her voice drew nearer and he was almost sure she's just standing behind the door. "No thanks, Bak, I'd rather take my chances with Curly and be done with it."

"Now, now Miss Fou, we agreed to no unnecessary name-calling, have we not?" Komui roped himself into the conversation and stood in front of the metal door, his back facing Bak.

"Sorry, Cur—Komui. But Baka-Bak started it, so blame it on him," Fou grumbled.

Before Komui could pin the blame, Bak clamped a tight grip over Komui's shoulder and spoke with a grave, dead-serious voice. "Stay your tongue Komui, or I will rip it out of you." Komui made a zipping gesture to his lips, moved away from the door and cowardly hid behind Reever.

How come Komui and Fou could along so well, Bak wondered? He had spent the better part of his life trying to convince Fou to separate 'Baka' away from 'Bak' but to no avail and instead he was subjected to more ridicule every time he brought up the issue with her. And now, Fou had only been in Komui's care for barely a month and she was already doing the curly-haired numbskull's bidding with much obedience.

Did Komui brainwash her or something?

He would worry about that later.

"Fou, don't be ridiculous, you are being selfish. Do you know the danger you are exposing the Branch to with your disappearing act?" Never had Bak heard of a spiritual guardian running away from home, but then again, most Branch protectors never did had two feet, a loud mouth and a cheeky attitude. Bak swore that when he dies, he's going to bring this up with his dead great grandfather. "I will not have you put us in danger any longer, I command you to return with us at once."

"Bah, just get some of your lackeys to stand guard for a while. What do you think those Finders and security guards are paid for? Decoration?" she said with a bored tone, a tone which Bak hated very much because it meant Fou was going to be stubborn. "Besides, Komui has already set up that ugly gatekeeper as my temporary replacement."

"No way am I ever relying on something that Komui saddled me with." Apart from Lenalee, Bak refrained from saying. "And Ares Teena is not ugly, he's hideous."

"You are not so pretty yourself," Fou shot back at him and Bak heard Komui clapping his hands delightfully. "You are just being a fussy brat. That ugly gatekeeper has been guarding the Headquarters for ages, so how bad can he be? Of course, he's nothing compared to me but he will do for now."

"But that's different. Ares Teena might have been the Headquarters' gatekeeper for more than six decades, but more importantly, they have Exorcists living here on a permanent basis. That's more than enough to ensure safety!" Bak said, trying his best to convince his bull-headed guardian.

"Yeah, but these Exorcists are always out on missions or hospitalized anyway, it's all the same. And what about the other Branches, they are getting along fine with normal gatekeepers, so what's your problem?" she asked back and Bak wanted to hit his head on the nearest solid object, preferably Fou's head. "Anyhow, I don't care, you don't have a choice! I'm staying. Deal with it!"

"Fou…," Bak breathed sternly, visibly pissed. Deal with it, she says. God, did she even have any idea how much trouble he had suffered all because of her. Not like he's going to tell her everything because it's far too embarrassing and Fou would never let him live it down. "I have wasted an entire week to get here, on a stinking livestock train, no less. I will not be turned away right now and I will not, you hear me, _will not_ return empty handed!"

"God, they bicker like a pair of demented married couple," someone said.

"More like a couple on the verge of filing a divorce," another suggested.

"I think it is romantic, two lovers separated by an iron wa—," Komui's voice was muffled.

"Just shut up, Supervisor!" Reever muttered.

One glare from Bak and the entire Science Division returned to their work, or at least, pretended to be busy.

"Fou! Now, listen here and listen well, I will not tolerate any more of your childish tantrums and I will not take no for an answer. You are coming home with us if I have to drag you across the three continents myself."

Bak's tone was absolute. And about the harshest he ever used on Fou.

There was absolute silence and then, there was a deafening bang: a lump in the shape of a tiny fist appeared on his side of the metal door.

"Get out of your diapers, Baka-Bak," she yelled back. "I've been slaving for the Branch over the last century without pay or rest like an overworked nanny. I need a vacation and an upgrade, you and the Branch can survive without me for a couple of weeks, so stop acting like a brat. You don't need me to baby you all the time. Or should I start calling you Baby Bak instead, huh?"

"Baby Bak…!" Bak exclaimed, utterly embarrassed and he could feel the itch starting to spread over his skin and he repressed the urge to scratch. To his further horrification, he heard Komui snorting with the might of a trumpeting elephant behind him.

"Aww… have ickle, wickle Bak drank his milk yet?" she teased, mocking him further by making a sucking sound.

"Shut up!"

"Wet your bed again?" she continued in fake, high-pitch voice.

"Shut up!"

"Are you still afraid of the dark?" the voice continued to taunt.

"Enough!" he roared. "Fine, if you like the Headquarters so much then you can just stay here forever. Don't come begging for me to take you back."

With that, he spun around with his back facing the direction that Fou's voice originated from, and stuck his nose up into the air, crossing his arms and pouting with the intensity of a petulant five year old that didn't get his way.

"… See you in two months, Bak."

The voice went silent.

Without turning around, he marched up to Komui and grabbed him brusquely by the collar of his overcoat and pulled him down, levelling both their eyes.

"Two months, that's all I'm giving you and she better return safely to me," Bak warned, his heated eyes glaring at a frivolous Komui to accentuate his point that there will be Hell to pay if anything happened to Fou during Komui's care.

"Consider it done, and in the mean time...," Komui announced happily as he clapped his hands and shot two thumbs up at Bak's direction. "Fou is mine and Ares is all yours!"

If Won… and Reever… and Johnny… and 65… and all the available Science Division members weren't holding Bak back, he would have lunged at Komui's neck like a hungry wolf and choked the living lights out of the obnoxious, giggling Supervisor.

This was just not Bak's day.


	2. Calm before the Storm

**A/N:** This chapter turned out quite different as I expect it to be. First, I spilt this chapter into two due to the extended length (it grew like it was on steroids), then the story turned out differently as I intended, with a lot of added scenes. Of course, there was also the time where I was preoccupied with another plot bunny. Some parts where quite brain maiming to write but overall it was entertaining as a whole… sort of.

At any rate, I do hope that those who were following this story will continue to enjoy it and hello to new readers. As usual, reviews are always appreciated.

oo0oo

Walk the World

- Chapter I -

Calm before the Storm

oo0oo

**Asia Branch: One and a half month later…**

Business was running as usual.

At first glance, it would seem that there was nothing out of the norm at the Asia Branch. To be sure, Akumas were still on their unholy crusade of destroying humanity, Noahs were still cooking up mischief every now and then, the Earl of Millennium was growing fatter somewhere in the world, Exorcists were still progressing on their missions and work reports sizing up to the Great Wall of China were forever, filling up every breathing inch of the Branch.

To be short, everything was in _perfect_ working order.

All seemed normal except the fact that Won's hair was greying faster than ever.

At some point, his hair stopped greying and started to wither! Undoubtedly, the main source which triggered his sudden receding hairline was none other than his young master.

Make that his extremely problematic young master!

Naturally, all the chaos began since the temporary defection of their short, spunky, too-headstrong-for-her-own-good spiritual guardian. It would seem that when she left, she had unsuspectingly taken their Branch Chief's good humour and patience with her as well. It wasn't that Master Bak misbehaved or anything, on the contrary, Won had never seen him more hardworking or diligent, or… well, strict as a matter of fact. That and… well, his moods had been pretty much less than flattering.

Well, for starters, there was this permanent scowl stuck tightly on his young master's face which indicated the condition of his moods. He didn't know how his master could maintain such a gargoyle-like grimace for so long but one thing's for sure was that ugly expression certainly didn't look like it was going to depart anytime soon.

To make matters even worse, mistakes had suddenly became a taboo around him and no matter how minor the blunders might be, it seemed to ignite sparks of annoyance from him, which would ultimately evolve into blatant anger. It didn't take long before Old Won finally lost count of the number of times he had to step in to save the scrawny necks of his younger colleagues from the iron grip of his fire-breathing master. It was troublesome all right, but Won took everything in a formidable stride, in the true loyal butler cum nanny fashion!

Though pathetic, it truly wasn't as bad as it sound for Won (in his high standards at least), for he could easily handle whatever tantrum his young master hurled at his face. He had served the obnoxious boy (he would always be the fragile boy to Won) faithfully for over two decades and somehow, Won had learnt to adapt to all his habits and moods. No matter how terrible the situations were, Won could proudly declare that he was practically immune to Master Bak's snappy attitude.

But he honestly couldn't say the same for the rest of the Branch's employees.

Life at the Asia Branch for most of them over the last month was almost comparable to living on an explosive, unstable land mine. The once reasonable Branch Chief had now sport a new flaming temper, which made the previous Level-3 Akuma attack seemed like a merry trip down to the playground. The situation only managed to deteriorate as his unpredictable mood swings went from very bad to the worst of worst and by the end of the two months, it became almost unbearable.

Most of the Branch's employees took to rescheduling their work, strictly avoiding their Branch Chief at all cost. While those who were forced to work closely with him – Gigi and the trio – decided to wear bullet proof armour hidden underneath their lab coats. Well, not that they believe their Branch Chief would seriously open fire on them out of fury. But sometimes, it was just better be safe than sorry.

There were many little things which could invite the bipolar mood swings of the Branch Chief to full action, but ultimately there were three commandments which must be abided at all cost in order to secure one's safety:

1) Thou shalt not praise the name of Komui;

2) Thou shalt not garb thyself in red, purple _or both_; and

3) Thou shalt _ne'er_ speak the name of Fou in the presence of _the_ Branch Chief.

Break one and don't expect any mercy.

Unexpectedly, the first directive was violated by the ever obedient scientist, Shifu. Truthfully, much of it wasn't his fault but rather a slip of tongue an inappropriate time. It all began when Shifu was assigned to the task of overlooking the new gatekeeper. His job mainly was to ensure that everything operated accordingly and to report to the security office on any malfunctions. It was a dreadful task, but lucky for him, what was originally an onerous duty was simplified by Komui's good installation prior to this.

As a science fanatic, he couldn't help but admire the handiwork done by the Supervisor. Before this, he had already heard many a great stories about Komui's groundbreaking inventions and had always dreamed of working with this remarkable man at the Headquarters one day. When he came to the Branch, it was even more fascinating to watch him set up the complicated installation alone, but now Shifu had the chance to study it up-close, his eyes could only shimmer in a light of unconcealed admiration.

That was until he accidentally revealed it to the Branch Chief. Although it was just an offhanded innocent remark, it was more than enough to instigate his boss' temper into muted rage. How he survived, Shifu didn't know, all he knew was that he was suddenly assigned to an extra job on top of his existing ones, which was to be involved in sentry guard duty beside the new gatekeeper. Having to work on the frontlines with only the basic of basic armaments had no doubt been a traumatizing experience for the skinny young man who knew nuts about fighting.

From that moment on, everyone working with the Branch Chief was extremely cautious, as not to provoke unnecessary bloodshed. It was hard not to feel sorry for the young man but one knew better than to bring up the subject. Between pity and survival… obviously, the latter took precedence.

The second victim was his very unlucky best friend, the junior Scientist, Rikei, who actually thought it was appropriate to wear a purple-red tie to work. Frankly, he didn't really like the neck-tie all that much – the colour was hideous, the design was old-fashioned and wearing it would undermine his sense of fashion. It was something he would never buy it on his own accord and he longed to get rid of the fashion mockery. However, he did not because the horrible necktie was a present that Shifu and Rohfa bought for him during last year's Christmas.

As a result, he made it a point to wear it once every other full moon, despite his personal distaste for it and the teasing he had to endure from his older colleagues. Yet, the smiles he received from his two best friends at the end of the day usually made everything worthwhile. Yes, he'd put up with anything if it'd made his friends happy!

That was until his tie caught the attention of a none-too-impressed Branch Chief. It was like waving a red cloth at a bull, really, only that the bull's damage might pale in comparison. Before Rikei knew it, he received a harsh lecture on proper office dress code and then found himself sentenced him to an extra daily task of scrubbing all the toilets within the compound with an old toothbrush. Overall, the experience of playing Cinderella was more damaging to his masculine pride rather than his body.

Soon enough, the unlucky neck-tie found itself flushed down the toilet.

At long last, judgment fell on the last member of the trio, Rohfa. Some said unrequited love brings upon doom, and in this young girl's love story, it might be true. Ah… if only she had not fallen madly in love with Allen Walker, if only she had not professed her love _that _loudly, if only she had not commented on how lucky Fou was, to be able to stay at the Headquarters for two months, near her beloved Exorcist…

… _Right In Front Of The Branch Chief_.

The consequences? Well, it might have drastic and bloody if Won had not interfered just in time to shield Rohfa from the wrath of their Branch Chief. Thanks to the old man, the young lady escaped narrowly from death but she swore to watch her mouth in the future. Nevertheless, she suffered the same fate as her buddies… or more like, she had to suffer their misfortune together and was subjected to both chores at the same time. Having to work as a scientist, guard and janitor simultaneously was murder but it was certainly a lighter punishment when she had her friends with her.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, a snippet of the daily life at the Asia Branch.

But wait, why didn't anyone go against the Branch Chief? Surely there must be some way to overcome this injustice?

Good question! But one should ask themselves first, why didn't anyone go against Komui who could do damage ten times worse than Bak? Simply put, it was a matter of office hierarchy, the leaders of the Branches were sole monarchs of their own jurisdiction and their words were law. It was a regulation set in the early days of the Black Order for easier micro management between all parties (if not, all the Popes would have died prematurely from overwork). Typically, all staffs had to abide to it faithfully without questions… unless one happened to be a daring lawbreaker like Fou.

Speaking of Fou, honestly, Won didn't know if Master Bak actually cared about her absence at all. Sure he was affected, just like the rest of them, if his moods were anything to account for, but otherwise, he was pretty detached about the whole incident and refused to speak about her. In fact, aside from forbidding everyone to bring up the subject, he didn't even bother to enquire on her progress or read the weekly reports which Section Chief Reever had painstakingly compiled.

He acted as though she had never existed.

One way or another, Won was pretty sure the entire body of the Asia Branch missed her badly. Not so much on a sentimental level, but rather, if she didn't come back anytime soon, someone was going to lose their head, whether it was from an Akuma attack or in the hands of their Branch Chief. Either way, it would be an undesirable bloodbath.

Minus all the quirks, business at the Asia Branch was running as usual.

000

"Master Bak…," Won finally said one morning.

"Hmm…," his young master responded, not lifting his gaze from the reports, his blonde forelock obscuring his eyes from view.

He was reading a thick file diligently, completely absorbed into the text (and from the way he was flipping through the pages at an inhuman speed, the file ought to feel molested) but it didn't take long before he digested the entire folder, stamped his approval, tossed it, none too lightly, to the stack of completed works. Then, he switched his attention to his servant and for the first time, Won saw the pair of bloodshot eyes.

Otherwise, there were no imperfections on his appearance – with his freshly washed face, neatly combed hair and crease-free ironed clothes – Master Bak was the epitome of Mr Perfection (also because he was very vain and would had rather died a painful death than to walk out of his room if he was anything less). But sadly, Won noted, his dark rimmed eyes gave away his foul mood and judging from how deep the eye bags were, he must had pulled an all-nighter in his room... again.

Seriously, the boy needed a vacation… and soon.

"Your tea," Won said as he picked the tea cup off his tray and placed it to Bak's right, because Master Bak was right-handed and would have knocked over the cup clumsily otherwise.

His young master made a troll-like grunt in response, like it was too much effort for him to do otherwise. _Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning_. That or he still had not forgiven Won for meddling too much in his affairs.

However, despite his arrogance, Bak would never treat Won the way he did to others. Sure, he worked the old man into the ground and threw in a dirty glare here and there when he didn't get his way. But he had never, _ever_ considered Won to be inferior to him, regardless of the difference in their positions. If anything, Won was his most trusted confidante, a surrogate parent to him, looking after his needs when his own parents were too busy with the Black Order to concern themselves with the upbringing of their only son. As for Won, he watched over Bak like a grandson he never had and he was certainly pleased how well his young master turned out to be.

Well… except for moments like these.

"Your papers," Won continued, setting the folded papers to Bak's left, because Master Bak likes to work while occasionally eyeing the newspaper.

Tucking his hands and the remaining folder behind him, Won watched quietly as Bak's hand went for the newspaper, spreading it over one side of the desk next to the documents he was working on. The old servant wondered if this was an appropriate moment to speak with his master. In some way, he wasn't as lethal as usual but he didn't seem to be in a particularly fine mood either and Won would really hate to be the one to ruin it any further.

"Is there anything else?" his young master asked suddenly, removing his gaze from the papers when he realised Won had not moved from the spot for the last couple of minutes.

"Uhm, yes. Two matters actually," Won answered truthfully.

"Hmm… It must be of great importance for you to hesitate like that," Bak commented lightly and crossed his fingers, his face devoid of emotions. There was a tint of amusement in his tone as though he was deriving great pleasure in causing such discomfort in his most-trusted servant. "Well then Won, you have my undivided attention."

There was no point in getting cold feet. What needed to be done had to be done and if Won couldn't do it, no one else could.

"So erm… first things first," the old man started slowly. "Last night, some information had been wired in from the Headquarters and it contains certain instructions for you—," he paused, not quite sure if 'Headquarters' was a life-threatening taboo or not.

"Go on," his young master encouraged, his voice smooth, too smooth… not good.

"Right," Won conceded, straightened himself and cleared his throat. "I'm sure you are aware of the annual general meeting that occurs between the Black Order's council and the members of the Church which usually takes place during this time of the year," Bak nodded in agreement. "Well, as usual, you've been summoned to attend this meeting as the Asia Branch Chief."

"Mm-hmm… so what's new?" Bak asked, crossing his arms and leaning back, his disinterested posture didn't secrete the wariness in his eyes. "Surely if that's all there is to it, you wouldn't have hesitated in informing me."

"Well… there are some slight changes compared to the previous ones, mostly inconsequential details with… the most major one being the venue of the meeting," he said, observing his master carefully for any violent reaction. "Due to the rampant of the Akumas recently and the fact that there will be more representatives from the Church attending, the event will take place within the Vatican City instead of the Headquarters three weeks from now."

"Seriously?" Bak said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," he plucked a few sheets of paper from his folder and spread it neatly for his master's perusal. "It says so here."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Bak chirruped, jerking forward, clearly delighted at the idea of not having to travel to the Headquarters. Resting his cheek on his palm, Bak's picked up the paper before him and scanned through the contents quickly, appearing slightly more interested at the prospect of having to visit the Holy City.

"I thought you would be displeased," explained Won. After all, the Vatican City was so very far away and so very confined and it was not so very long ago that they had to cross half the continent to meet Komui.

Fine, maybe not that far. Considering the Headquarters was much further in comparison, not to mention, it possessed a bitter climate and was stuck on top of a dangerously jagged and gravity-defying mountain. But at least, despite all the trouble, they had this all-healing life saviour called Lenalee Lee whose presence was bound to cheer up Master Bak.

"Nonsense. Why would I be?" he asked, in a way that didn't require an answer. "Why… I would cross oceans, tundra, deserts and mountain peaks if that's what my work requires of me."

Of course he would, but not without complaining until Won's ears fell off first. "Yes," the old man servant replied tiredly instead, he felt his years catching up on him.

"Sounds like it's going to be some big hoo-ha," he smirked, letting the paper fall back carelessly onto the table as he leaned on his chair once more. "But since it's a direct order from the Church, it's to be expected, right?"

"Yes," Won answered, nonetheless… or maybe he was getting old.

"Then I trust you will make all necessary arrangements for this trip, you know the usual drill. Also, notify all the Section Chiefs for a meeting this afternoon, the sooner we sort out this whole business, the better and get Gigi in here, I need to discuss with him about the latest transmitter that we've developed, someone has to take charge of the project when I'm gone. Oh, and while you are at it, don't forget to forward a confirmation to the Headquarters that we've received the order and we shall travel directly to the Vatican City for the appointed day, I don't want them thinking we are irresponsible like someone else," he said at a rapid speed that anyone except Won would have heard it as garbled mumbling.

"Yes and… no."

"I beg your pardon," Bak thought he heard wrongly, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes as in I'll make all the necessary preparations, but before we get to that, there are actually more instructions from the Headquarters…," Won revealed, distinctly aware of the annoyance that was creeping through the young man's face again, his palms began to sweat, "… and one of it dictates that before you head off to the Vatican City, you are to stop by there first to attend to some _issues_."

"What _kind_ of issues?" he asked quietly, his voice almost subdued by the noises made by the scientists bustling in the room.

"Personal ones," he said, quite reluctant to continue the conversation, knowing well where it would lead to.

"About?" Bak asked cautiously as he picked up the tea cup and waited for Won to break the silence.

_Don't lose your nerve_. It's now or never.

"About… Miss Fou."

Thud! Crash! Splash!

Instinctively, Won turned his head to the source of the noises, his face formed a grimace when he found three stooges in another part of the room: Rikei had ungracefully fallen off the high wooden ladder, Shifu dropped the monitor screen on his toes and was curled up, nursing his injured foot, while Rohfa, who tripped over a sobbing Shifu, spilled the entire jug of hot coffee over Rikei, who was now lying on the floor.

It was a tangled mess.

Won spared a glance from the corner of his eye at his young master, only to find the man glaring pointedly at him, as though oblivious to the pandemonium happening in the room. Heaving a sigh, Won walked over to the clumsy trio, assessed the damage, waved off their tearful faces and dismissed them, along with the entire team of terrified scientists huddling at the end of the room.

It took less than a split second before the entire room was deserted, save the Branch Chief and his very brave manservant.

Alone, Won turned back to face his master and saw that the boy had visibly stiffened, his back vertically straight as though he swallowed a ramrod. There were faint vein lines emerging on his skin as his hand gripped the expensive china cup tightly and with a little more pressure, the cup would mostly likely crack. At this point, it matters little since this was the last survivor of the tea set (Bak broke the rest earlier), and his master might as well send it to its early grave with the rest of its porcelain kin.

"Speak," Bak ordered in a flat, cold tone and swallowed his cup of scalding tea in one gulp without even a twitch in his features.

One million danger sirens silently blared through Won's head, his inner instincts urging him to run towards the opposite direction, like the other staffs did, away from the predatory-looking young man. But he didn't. The only things keeping him were a perverse sense of duty, determination and devotion.

"All right, first of all, we've just received the weekly report of her upgrade project…," Won said, pointing at the stack of untouched folders tucked between old newspapers at the corner of the room, "… which I have deposited with the others files. You may inspect them whenever your time permits."

"And so I shall," Bak muttered, obviously having no intention to do so. After all, he was the one who slotted all those reports there upon receiving it. There was a dark aura swirling about him, the same kind that Akuma emit when they were on a killing spree. If Won wasn't so used to his master, he would have probably crumbled under the intensity of that soul-shattering scowl (which he seemed to have perfected over the last few weeks). "Now, is that all you would like to say?"

After many years of service, Won had learnt the best way to deal with Bak's tantrums was to either stay out of his way or confront him directly. Based on his personal experiences, both ways were, honestly, distasteful, but as the matter at hand was urgent, Won decided to dive into the subject straight on even though he knew what was coming.

"No, sir, there is more," admitted Won.

"Then I suggest you be swift with such trivial matters, we don't have all day," he spoke in a controlled voice but his grip finally cracked the tea cup and without the slightest guilt, he flung it into the nearest waste bin. Won couldn't help but sigh at the sight, the antique Ming dynasty tea set had been rather costly and a favourite of his.

"Of course." Taking a deep breath, _if there's any God, please help me through this_, he explained, "Now, I'm sure you realised that it's been almost two months since Miss Fou left for the Headquarters—."

"Frankly, I don't think I've noticed," he sulked and looked away. After a few moments, he turned back, "What about it?"

"Well, there had been word from the Headquarters yesterday, suggesting that her upgrade is nearing its completion and we are to retrieve her and return Ares Teena in two weeks time. The Supervisor expects you to be there a week before the annual meeting and you shall travel together to Vatican after the exchange of both gatekeepers."

Bak groaned, rather loudly.

"I know this is a rather late notification but if we board the train this Sunday, we should be able to make it to the Headquarters on time. On the other hand, I do understand very well that you are currently distracted by more important matters, therefore, if you insist, we could arrange for someone else to retrieve her on your behalf, Master Bak."

For a while, Bak was silent. Then, with a sigh, he placed his elbows on the desk and crossed his fingers, his arms forming an arch parallel to his body as he rested his head heavily on his hands. His disposition was one between a headache and meditation. Won surmised that the Branch Chief was probably facing an inner struggle to choose between his duty to abide to the Order's order and his own desire to just ignore it.

A few more minutes passed. The inner fight must have been more severe than Won thought if it required Master Bak to think so hard. It was quite unimaginable, for a man who could solve unsolvable mathematical equations as easily as combing his hair to require so much time to just answer 'yes' or 'no'. Just as Won was going to voice his opinion, Bak suddenly lifted his head. There was this strange twinkle in his eyes and he was… _what_…smiling?

"No, that won't be necessary. We shall be there," Won heaved a relieved sigh, elated by Bak's wise decision though some part of him was wary of his sudden consent. "Honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, she is my responsibility… just as the Asia Branch is."

Won would have applauded, but knowing his master would take offence, he settled with a simple nod of approval. "Very well then, I shall arrange for us to leave by this Sunday to make it in time–."

"Schedule our tickets for Monday," Bak interrupted abruptly, a roguish grin spreading on his face. "Late Monday preferably and do not inform the Headquarters of our itinerary, let them think we'll be arriving on time."

It took years of experience and endurance for Won not to blurt out a horrified 'WHAT?' to his master. Why would Master Bak want to keep such information from the Headquarters? Why would he want to be late on purpose? Granted, the reasons weren't all that important, but wouldn't it be better for both parties if he notify them the date of his arrival earlier just so to avoid unnecessary confusion? Besides, didn't he just said a few minutes ago that he didn't want to seen as irresponsible like the Supervisor?

Suddenly Won could foresee a distorted replay of the previous Supervisor-Gatekeeper-Branch Chief disaster.

As a butler of sorts, it was part of Won's duties to help his master manage his daily agenda and make all necessary arrangements required. He, Sammo Han Won, butler-extraordinaire, keeper of the Chang clan young master, dead-obedient shadow of the Branch Chief, knew everything of everything that needed to be known about his master.

It was also the reason whyWon could swear upon his old soul that he was absolutely sure his master's schedule was free on Sunday. As far as Won was concerned, Master Bak had no prior appointments, meetings, fieldworks, researches, family gatherings, girlfriend dates, if any, whatsoever happening on that day. Seriously, there was no valid reason for his master to delay the trip to the Headquarters unless there was an unexpected change in his plans, in which, he should not be silent about it.

Talk about irresponsible! Dutifully, Won remained and waited for his peculiar master to assign further instructions, if any at all. Master Bak seldom kept any secrets from him, whether it was his secret affection for Miss Lee or plotting the death of Mr Lee. But to his dismay, Bak had already resumed to his work while whistling a happy tune.

That's weird. The last time Master Bak whistled, it was because he accidentally brushed Miss Lenalee's hand.

"Is there anything you would like to add?" Won asked carefully, his suspicions won over. He had to know what led to the sudden change of character if he wanted to sleep well tonight.

Bak paused momentarily, as though surprised that his assistant was still there. He raised a finger to tap his chin in a contemplative manner and knitting his brows, he spoke in a serious voice. "Make sure it is a first-class carriage, I refuse to settle for less."

That wasn't the answer Won was looking for, but he made a mental note to prepare it no less. Won didn't like to repeat himself and he knew his master disliked it even more but he couldn't contain his anxiety so he repeated again. "Master Bak. I don't mean to question you, but… why Monday?"

Bak gave his confounded manservant a smile that spoke of everything and nothing. "You'll figure out soon enough, Won, but in the mean time, just do as you are told."

"As you please, Master Bak," he conceded.

Down spirited, he left the Branch Chief to his own wicked devices, and whistling, and head out to perform the given tasks. He exited the room, only to find a group of nervous scientists gathered outside the office, staring at him like a martyr who just came back from the dead. Their shock morphed into bewilderment when they overhead their boss whistling cheerfully.

Too tired to explain, Won walked away quietly, leaving them to wonder what had transpired within.

000


	3. Revenge is Sweet

**A/N:** I'm not really dead yet (though I might be after I finish this chapter). Seriously, I came really close to running my fingers through a paper shredder a few times over the course of writing this thing (I'm never writing anything of this length again, _ever_). Well, I'm glad it's all over and the story can finally progress!

Oh, I also want to apologize for not replying to some of the reviews and thanking each one of you personally. I feel so bad about it since some of you took the trouble to comment. But I really don't remember who have I replied to and who I haven't. This time, I'll make sure I get it right.

Ok, enough of my ramblings and on with the story. As usual, thanks for reading and hope you'll enjoy it!

oo0oo

Walk the World

- Chapter II -

Revenge is Sweet

oo0oo

**Two weeks later…**

On any given normal day, if someone had went up to Bak and asked him, out of pure curiosity, to what extent was his relationship with Fou, without doubt the only answer that the person would ever receive would be a frown, a glare and a very straightforward 'it is really none of your business', followed by a hard shove to the nearest door or window.

Similarly, if someone was suicidal enough to ask him the same question during the two months his guardian was transferred to the Supervisor's care, it was quite likely that the question would remained forever unanswered as said person would have probably met a premature and agonizing demise from being thrown out of the same window.

However, if someone had asked him this particular question over last two weeks – a period of time when he was bequeathing bright smiles freely like Santa giving away candies – it would not be surprising if the inquisitor would actually find the Branch Chief admitting with good humour that not only would he be happy to share the secret to anyone who asked, he might even consider broadcasting it for all to hear through his window.

Come to think of it, perhaps it was for the best that no one was actually nosy enough to enquire about it. Sometimes, it is better to leave certain stones unturned.

In regards to this delicate matter, Bak was extremely proud and also equally embarrassed to admit that, to this date, only two people in the whole wide world had come to know the full extent of his relationship with his guardian. One had figured it out on his own through careful observation while the other had benefited out of Bak's carelessness. But all in all, it was a rather well-kept secret and Bak would like it to remain that way until he drew his very last breath.

As to be expected, the first person was good old Won. No surprise there as that man had practically watched over him since the day he rolled out of his mother's womb. Having kept the boy company for so long, it was only natural for his loyal butler to be aware of the various tangled bonds that he shared with the individuals that he came into contact with, be it friend or foe.

Of course, Fou was no exception, since she was a constant (pain in the butt) in his life.

Unbeknownst to Won however, there was actually this one other person who had a clearer view on the matter.

That man, much to Bak's misfortune and disgust, was none other than Komui Lee.

Somehow, with the help of a few bottles of dubious drinks dug out from the deepest depths of Jeryy's personal stash, Komui had managed to cajole the entire truth out of him. The whole ordeal had consisted of some ingenious persuasion, a few loosen tongues, a jumble of slurred words and an unbelievable amount of hysteria and hives. But Komui had prevailed in the end and the whole dirty cat and its kittens were soon out of the bag, all for his gleeful, waiting ears.

The next morning, after Bak had regained much of his sobriety and cleared off his guts of the vile substance he consumed earlier, he had proceeded to corner the bespectacled man into a deserted, dark alleyway and force the man to swear an oath of lifetime secrecy under knifepoint.

Bak had also, not so secretly implied that if he ever caught the taller man so much as squeaked the sordid secret to another soul, he would not hesitate to wipe him off the face of the Earth faster than he could scream 'coffee'. Much to his satisfaction, the threat was apparently enough to seal off Komui's mouth from spreading the word to others for good.

It didn't, however, stop the loud mouth lunatic from teasing the heck out of him whenever they were alone.

In truth, the only reason Bak refused to discuss about his complicated and rather abusive relationship with Fou, even under the threat of death, was because he had realised some years ago that almost every defining moment he recalled of her usually warrant an incredible amount of embarrassment and humiliation on his part.

To be frank, just thinking about it would surmount to another bout of severe hives attack.

At the age of 5, Bak pretty much thought that Fou was the coolest thing to ever grace the planet since the existence of strawberry sundae – something that he had just discovered earlier on his birthday that year and was forbidden to eat due to his poor health.

Because little Bak would never _ever_ forget how Fou had suddenly materialized out of thin air and stopped his five older cousins from attacking his hair. Those bullies, who probably nurtured some kind of personal vendetta and unhealthy interest in his unusual blond hair – since they couldn't stop pulling it – had all but scattered off in fright at the mere sight of Fou cracking her knuckles.

When they were alone, Fou had simply turned around and squatted in front of him. She had taken a good look at his face, ruffled his hair, called him a wimp and, to his utter shock, caught him by his legs and sat him on her shoulder. Then, without warning, she leapt into the air and started hopping from pillar to pillar all over the great complex with him clutching onto her for life. Together, they had spent the rest of the day pissing off every single adult with their high-pitch antics and before he returned home, Fou had proceeded to stuff him with enough strawberry sundaes until he was giddy from the sugar overdose and succumbed to high fever that night.

It was worth it.

At the age of 7, Bak had his first real fight with Fou. It was also the first time he had stupidly raised his voice at her and in return, she had given him his first headbutt and a glorious black eye to commemorate the occasion.

Because, he soon discovered (albeit in a brutal way) that Fou would never take orders from anyone apart from the Black Order's Supervisor, the Asia Branch Chief and his dead great-grandfather. Since Bak was neither of the first two back then and would never be the third, Fou had disregarded all his childish commands, deeming it unworthy of her attention. Unaccustomed to being ignored, Bak had threw a tantrum and confronted her, and even went as far as saying that he would fire her the moment he succeeded as the next Supervisor.

Of course, that was also pretty much the last thing he said for the day as Fou had responded to his claims with a powerful headbutt and a left hook to his eye, instantly knocking him out cold. For the next few days, Bak had to hide from public while waiting for the swelling to recede and his head to return to its actual size. Fou visited him of course, if only to chide him and make fun of his bruised face and also, to remind him that she would continue to torment him until he becomes the leader of the Black Order.

At the age of 12, Bak swore that if he ever falls in love with someone, Fou would be last person on the planet to know. Better still if she never find out until he presented her with his first-born, in which he swore with equal vengeance that he would make sure that Fou would be kept away from his wife and child for all eternity and after.

Because, in all honesty, Bak absolutely didn't appreciate the way she laughed – howled at his face for an hour straight when he confided to her about his first crush. Simply put, he instantly regretted pouring out his delicate, innocent feelings to her and that he must have been either really desperate or stupid to ever believe that Fou was capable of providing him with some decent advice on catching the girl's attention – since she was technically girl herself and probably had a century of experience.

But no, Fou's irrational logic had made her believe that the best cure to soothe his love-sick soul was to laugh at him. Somehow, it became even more ridiculous when her mirth failed to cease after a week of teasing and overtly obvious eyebrow wiggling. She certainly didn't have the decency to shut up whenever they entered into a room full of people, if anything, she laughed harder. Not to mention, he almost perished from a heart attack when she insisted on playing cupid for them.

At the age of 19, Bak decided that Fou was a complete nuisance, a thorn in his eye and a blemish in his perfect life.

Because, his opinion of her had certainly hit rock bottom when she decided to gang up with junior scientist Komui to play a mean prank on him, one which had cost him his pretty puppy-eyed, sweet face girlfriend and soiled his reputation beyond repair. Bak would never forget how Fou had impersonated him and openly flirted with Komui in front of his girlfriend and practically the entire Asia Branch, giving them a reason to believe that Bak Chang, the future heir of the Chang clan, might be slightly eccentric in his amorous endeavors.

Later on, Bak attempted to salvage what remained of his reputation and his relationship with the poor girl, who was apparently so brain-scarred that she couldn't look at his face without fainting. Seeing her reaction, Bak didn't even want to know what she had _seen_ earlier, though he had good idea of it from how most of the men were avoiding him (or how some weirdoes were making advances on him) and also, how empty his dance cards and dates schedules were for the months to come.

It wasn't until much later that Bak discovered that his ex-girlfriend was actually a gold-digger, a cunning temptress eyeing the money more than the man. Only then did it actually occur to Bak that perhaps the two pranksters had good intentions, knowing that he would not have given ear to their advice any other way. Naturally, Bak forgave them but his humongous pride didn't permit him to thank them openly. Well, not like the two of them cared much for his gratitude anyway since they had a good laugh at his expense.

At the age of 29, Bak's opinion of Fou had been wrought in stone and hasn't changed over the last ten years.

Because Fou certainly didn't see the necessity of improving her attitude towards him even after he finally succeeded as the Asia Branch Chief, a position so prestigious, so revered that many would have kissed the ground that he walked. Sadly, she still held no respect for his newfound authority and power even when others would have willingly grovelled for his kind favour. If anything, she became worse as she seemed to have made it her life mission to convert his perfect life into a scorching living hell.

Even after he exercised every single functioning brain cell in his head, Bak just didn't know how to deal with her half of the time. God knows his great grandfather didn't foresee his predicament and left him a manual or guidebook or something to ease his sorrow. Apparently, common rules didn't apply to childish, violent, overbearing, infuriating spiritual guardians either. Negotiating with her was impossible, arguing with her would only ensure an immediate one-way trip to the hospital, fighting with her promised a swift death and while bribing might work fairly well, it usually resulted in a price that was too high to pay (or in other words, his reputation).

In the end, Bak resorted to deflecting all her physical and verbal assault the best that he could by outwitting her with his god-given brains while still trying to keep what remained of his sanity intact.

Sometimes, it worked. Most of the time it didn't and when it didn't, it usually ends tragically.

But just when he thought that things were finally moving to his pace and that he had somehow managed to tame the wild child of a guardian after all those years of putting up with her constant craziness and unending insubordination, Fou had struck again and this time, she struck hard.

She ran away.

And worst.

To add insult to injury, of all the people in the world she could have thrown herself to, it had to be Komui. What could have possibly possessed her mind to ever place faith and confidence into the one man that everyone in their sane mind would avoid? He might be darling, sweet Lenalee's older brother, but it didn't change the fact that the man practically had 'crazy' carved over his forehead and 'lazy' as a middle name.

No matter what her excuses were, Bak absolutely could not tolerate the notion that she had just ditched him and the Asia Branch over a fancy invitation by his sworn enemy, Komui Lee.

The blow of the betrayal couldn't be more painful if Fou had broken his jaw or burned off his hair.

A good part of him was seething with boiling anger over her selfish decision to bolt off without notice, leaving the fate of the Asia Branch in the hands... face of a useless gatekeeper. He didn't even need to explain the trouble that her absence had caused. He would never admit openly but it bothered him to no end whenever someone thought of Komui more highly than himself, in fact, he considered it an unforgivable insult to be compared to that man in the first place.

Certainly he was a much better choice than an unholy maniac with an obsessive sister-fixation. If Fou had wanted that upgrade so badly, she could have at least consulted him. Yes, like she said, he was overly busy and hardly ever around but seriously what could he do about it. For God's sakes, he was the dutiful, hardworking, splendidly magnificent Asia Branch Chief; the world depended on people like him, not some detestable sloth like Komui.

Fine! Two can play the game!

If she could act that selfish, so could he!

Surely she didn't expect him to sit down and do nothing after what she had done to him. Bak Chang wouldn't be Bak Chang if he was not stubborn, manipulative and unforgiving. The men of Chang clan were not only famous for their powerful bloodline, scoring geniuses and magicians for centuries, their scions were also infamous for possessing a set of bull-headedness to match with their brains. To top everything off, they were quite a vindictive lot that you'd really don't want to mess with.

Very revengeful, the sort that didn't forget or forgive easily! And Fou should know better than to cross _his_ path!

There was, however, a teensy, little problem. The fact that Fou didn't really have a major weakness for him to exploit made it very difficult for him to exact revenge. Not only did she have a devil-may-care attitude towards everything, she was also endowed with an inhuman behemoth strength which she wouldn't hesitate to use when she saw fit, or in other words, when something was not to her liking – Bak would know best since he was usually on the receiving end of it.

Now, Fou might be a hard nut to crack but Bak didn't live with her for the past twenty years without learning a trick or two to defend himself. How else could he have survived so long if he didn't have some sort of secret weapon as a consolation for himself? It must have been many years since he acquired those precious knowledge but he never saw a real reason to employ them until today.

As the Chinese saying goes, 'even a Buddha has his limits in patience' and Bak had generously granted her more than the share that she ought to deserve. Now, it's payback time!

For one thing, Bak knew that Fou couldn't stand being ignored. In fact, the very thought of being taken lightly annoyed her so much that whenever it happened, she would usually take out her frustration on _him_. Take Allen Walker for example, just because the white haired Exorcist was too busy wallowing himself up in despair over his lost arm and forgot to greet her upon their first encounter, Bak had to suffer a blow to his handsome face. Yes, that showed how obsessed Fou was with the subject.

It was also why Bak had deliberately chosen to ignore her for the last two months. He had refused to enquire after her, struck down every phone call from the Headquarters, personally disposed all the weekly reports and forbid everyone in the Branch to discuss anything pertaining to her. To conclude the circle, he also planned to be exceedingly late in the exchange of the gatekeepers, just to prove his point that she was a dispensable item to him. Bak had believed that if she could be peeved over being merely brushed aside, surely she would explode at the thought being treated as non-existent.

He would show her that he could make do without her, that he's not a subject to her wills and whims, that he would be just fine and dandy even if she disappeared without a trace. He was his own master, lord of his own mind and he would prove to her that the Asia Branch didn't need her to babysit them, as she called it, and that he needed her just as much as he needed a milk bottle.

Now, Bak was quite positive that his point was proven quite clearly. During her absence, the Asia Branch had exhibited nothing less than outstanding and praise-worthy results. It was the first time ever in the long history of the Black Order that a Branch had actually worked ahead of time, completing not only their existing work but covering future projects and submitting three months worth of extra work.

No, this had nothing to do with his Spartan work schedule or his temper at all, they were all just more... focused without her constant interruption!

Right.

Now, if that didn't work, there was always Plan B.

It was no secret that Fou was a daredevil who feared nothing beneath the sun, but if there was one thing that she was mortally afraid of, it would be Bak's inborn ability: the power to seal her up permanently within the barrier that hosted her soul. When Bak inherited the position as the head of the Chang clan, he was also entrusted with the knowledge that he actually had the power to confine their guardian deity through a series of complicated spells (and some blood lost). Better still, the sweetest part of the whole deal was, as the leader of the family, he retained full rights to perform the act as he saw fit.

Truthfully, Bak was a little disinclined to execute the second method as he considered that a rather harsh punishment even for someone like Fou. Yes, he was irritated and would have slapped her, only that he was a gentleman and would never hit women, but he wasn't a mean jackass. Not to mention, she might never forgive him if he tried it.

So, he stuck firmly to Plan A, and continued to ignore her existence.

On another note, he did wondered why Komui was so concerned about Fou's upgrade, to the point that the ferret-face idiot went through all the trouble in travelling across the globe just to bring her back to the Headquarters. True, Komui's explanation about the Level-3 attack, the Asia Branch's safety and Fou's weakness might hold some semblance of truth but then again, why would the infamous Supervisor take upon himself such a cumbersome task?

In the end, Bak could only sum up the reason why the ever-lazy Komui trapped himself in this difficult disposition was because he wanted to prove his superiority to Bak. That must be it. There could be no other reason. That insolent scumbag was most hateful – he stood in his way to the throne of the Headquarters, he stood in his way to the beautiful courtship with Lenalee, and now, he was standing between him and his subordinate.

Nevertheless, there was very little that could be done about the Supervisor unless Bak received a sudden promotion or Komui was discharged from his post, both cases were as likely to happen as Fou having a growth spurt. Still, between the monster duo, Bak decided that Fou ought to be blame for everything since she should have better sense than to listen to Komui and should, by all rights, refuse the offer.

Well, what did it matter? What's more important was whatever that was to come. After enduring two months of waiting, Bak would finally have the chance to teach Fou a good lesson for running away from home.

And also for taking Komui's words against him.

Uhuhuhuhu…

"Er… Master Bak," ventured Won carefully. Instantly, Bak was snapped back into reality to see his manservant fidgeting uncomfortably on his seat opposite him. "Other passengers, er… people are staring."

Looking up, Bak noticed that all attention in the carriage was directed to him in a peculiar manner. Most of the men held strange glances, some of them even moved their hands towards their walking stick, and the women were whispering among themselves, pulling their children behind them for protection.

Basically everyone was giving him the same look that they would give to a dangerous, bloodthirsty clown that escaped from the circus.

It was then Bak realised he had laughed out loud.

It was no secret that Bak, an incurable egoist, lived only to bask in the glorious admiration of others and he loved attention almost as much as he loved himself and Lenalee Lee. But just this once, he wished he was smaller, shorter and if possible, invisible.

Ignoring the suspicious gazes from the crowd, Bak cleared his throat and picked up the newspaper next to him in the most dignified manner he could muster; pretending as though the act of laughing like a maniacal clown in a train crammed with aristocrats was a daily occurrence. He spread the papers open, as wide as possible, covering his face entirely, subsequently concealing the flash of heated red on his cheeks.

000

**Headquarters: At the same time…**

"Can someone please tell me since when have I been promoted to being the minister of diplomatic relations for the Headquarters?" Reever asked without humour to no one in particular, only to be answered by the deep echo of his own voice. He wasn't alone but the two stern-looking security guards of the entrance of the underground water tunnel didn't think it was appropriate to comment on a superior's private musing.

So there he stood, at the dock in the dark sewers, waiting impatiently for a glimpse of the gondola carrying the Branch Chief... _which should have arrived three hours ago_. What was taking that man so long anyway? There was no traffic in a hidden underground waterway and even if there was, he would have probably arrived by now! He checked his watch again for the umpteenth time in the last thirty minutes, his patience thinning as he thought of the mountainous work pile stacked on his desk and all over his office.

Actually it was the Supervisor's duty to receive the foreign Branch Chiefs whenever they paid a visit. But Komui, as usual, had bailed out of this job at the very last moment, saying something about having to perform some final checkups _with a gleeful face that was far too discomforting_ before the imminent arrival of Branch Chief Bak. Due to the lack of manpower and by the Supervisor's direct request (or orders actually), the task descended onto Reever's shoulders, who reluctantly accepted the job of waiting and entertaining the Asia Branch Chief with as much enthusiasm as a dying fish in a desert. It wasn't the idea of substituting the Supervisor that displeased him, he just hated the thought of being sandwiched in a petty squabble between them.

Sometimes, Reever wondered why the Earl didn't just finish off either one of them.

His feet were starting to ache from standing, having played statue for more than three hours. Being the workaholic he was, he was restless and deeply regretted not bringing a book to read or some scientific papers to work on while waiting. Or perhaps, he should have dragged Johnny or Tupp with him – not the greatest selection of companions since one would bully him into chess while the other would gorge him with food – but it was a better option than conversing with the air.

Having nothing better to do and bored of talking to himself, Reever stood on his toes and looked over the railing, wishing hard that someone would appear soon to save him from boredom. Half of his body was hanging precariously over the water when his wish was granted as he heard the door burst open loudly.

"Section Chiieeeeeef!" screamed a hysterical voice from behind him.

Lesson 1: Be careful of what you wish for. Lesson 2: Don't turn around.

Recognising the voice, Reever didn't – _refused _to turn around to acknowledge the harbinger of disaster, trouble… and a lot more work. He even half considered jumping into the water to escape from all this madness. What did the world have against him anyway? All he ever wished for in life was a warm home with a loving family, a steady job with hardworking subordinates and a peaceful world where lazy, homicidal bosses with unreasonable sister-fixation didn't exist.

Dear God, was that too much to ask?

"What is it, Johnny?" he said through gritted teeth without looking back, attempting to control his growing irritation. He gripped the railing tightly, his mind relishing in the thought of it being the Supervisor's neck.

"The… he…," Johnny wheezed, gasping for much-needed air. "You know… he…."

No, Reever had no idea what the poor guy wanted to say, but he surmised it could only be two things: the Supervisor or the Branch Chief, or worse… _both_. Reluctantly, he pushed himself away from the railing and approached his subordinate, his stormy countenance softening as he saw Johnny sitting on the floor, trying to gasp for air. He lowered himself and patted him on the back, a littler harder than he should, to help the poor man regain his breath.

"Easy there, now calm down and take a deep breath. Yes, that's better. All right, now tell me what is so important that you have run like that?"

"It… It's… the…," he coughed out, "…Supervisor."

"I figured that much," he revealed, an irked smile appearing on the corner of his lips as he was somewhat distressed that his intuition was right… again. "What has he done now?"

Honestly, that phrase must have been Reever's punch line or something since he seemed to be repeating it continuously to everyone he met.

"Nothing actually," said Johnny, perking his head up at his superior who stared at him in confusion. "He just wanted me to tell you that the Branch Chief is not coming,"

"What?" he spluttered, unable to comprehend what Johnny had just said. "What do you mean he's not coming?"

"Apparently the Branch Chief had a change of plans and forgot… or didn't bother to inform us about it. Geez, I knew the Supervisor was unreliable in relaying information but I didn't think the Branch Chief would be the same!" Mopping the sweat off his brows, Johnny rattled on, "I think they are just a cut from the same cloth, you know, one as bad as the other, hardly responsible. If I didn't know better, I would believe they are related, not in marriage, of course, God help us if that—."

"Johnny, just get to the point," Reever said impatiently, cutting him short.

"Sorry. What I meant to say was the Branch Chief will only be arriving two days later and you are to receive him then under the Supervisor's orders. Also…," Johnny pulled a piece of crumpled paper from his lab coat's pocket, "… since you are here, the Supervisor wants you to take one of the gondolas, row to town and get him some stuff."

His Australian superior snatched the paper and stared it with so much intensity that Johnny wondered why the paper didn't went up in a blaze of flames.

"His stash of Blue Mountain just ran out," he explained meekly in an attempt to be helpful.

An unearthly scream rang through the dark tunnel.

000

**Headquarters: Two days later**

"Good evening, Branch Chief Bak," Reever greeted amiably, arms outstretched with a sunny grin etched across his cheeks as the Branch Chief and his manservant arise from the boat. He was professionally concealing whatever animosity or irritation he felt, although he actually wanted nothing more than to kick the Chinese man right into the channel.

"Won, take these to our rooms and prepare me a fresh brew of tea. I shall be back shortly," Bak said, flicking his blonde hair out of his eyes, deliberately ignoring the Section Chief's cordial greetings.

"As you wish, Master Bak," the old manservant complied obediently as he gave Reever an apologetic nod. Playing the part of an obedient porter, he hefted the two heavy suitcases over his shoulder and quickly retreated into the dark after one of the guards.

"Ah yes, you were saying, Section Chief Reever?" Bak turned to the taller man, as though only noticing him there for the first time. It was there and then and the first time ever, Reever was assaulted by the feral urge to throw a few brutal punches onto the Chinese man's well-groomed face. Let's see how he was going to attend the meeting with a perfectly sized swollen eye.

Thankfully, the rational side of him won over instead and slowly, his professionalism began to kick in and a smile surfaced on his face, though it actually resembled more of a grimace. Trying to disperse the awkwardness that had seeped into place, he laughed pathetically, "Nothing, it's… uh… it's good to have you here."

"Now I'm sure you didn't mean that," said Bak, sarcasm dripping on every word despite the bright smile on his face. Clearly the Asia Branch Chief was trying to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. "But nevertheless, it is really thoughtful of you to come all the way out here to receive me. Isn't this supposed to be the Supervisor's duty or has Komui gone through early retirement?

"That would be poetic justice," Reever replied spontaneously, deadpan and then realising he had spoken out of turn, quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Scratching the back of his head, he smiled weakly and replied, "No, the Supervisor is just really busy, that's all."

"Is he now?" said Bak smoothly, blatant scepticism leaping to his eyes. "Somehow, I find it very hard to believe. But then again, he does like to pry in other people's affair and take upon himself more than he could manage, so perhaps it's not such a surprise."

Before Reever could respond appropriately, he was distracted by a slight buzzing sound ringing in his ears. "Ah… please excuse me, it is the Supervisor."

"Speak of the devil," Bak commented and Reever nodded in agreement as he reluctantly switched on the receiver.

"Supervisor? Yes, the Branch Chief is here, shall I bring him up to your office? Huh, at the cafeteria? Er… that shouldn't be a problem, but why?" he pushed the earpiece closer to his ear. "You want to _what_? No, I honestly think that _won't_ be wise. _What_? You've done it already? Then why bother asking me!" he yelled at the microphone, his voice amplified in the tunnel. "All right, yes, we'll be there soon, but I'm not going to hold any responsibilities. Don't say I didn't warn you, s_hut up_, I'm not being a worry-wart!"

"Everything is fine, I presume," Bak said disinterestedly, showing more attention to the shape of his nicely trimmed fingernails.

"Yes, it's just that the Supervisor and Miss Fou is at the cafeteria and he wants us to meet them there," explained Reever, though he decided not to inform the Branch Chief about the strange merry-making music that was blasting through the headphones.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get this over and done with."

"Of course, this way," he said, allowing the Branch Chief to step through the entrance first.

Their journey to the cafeteria was rather uneventful, grave and painfully slow, like a solemn funeral procession. The Asia Branch Chief had been unusually quiet, quite unlike his usual boisterous self. Reever would have been contented to leave him to his solitude if only that man would just stop wearing that _spooky_ smile of his.

Seriously, it was giving him the creeps.

"I… do hope your journey has been agreeable?" Reever said, unable to bear the terrible silence any longer. He walked beside Bak, the corner of his eyes scanning for some reaction. It was like attempting to divert a tsunami single-handedly, fruitless, but he had to try.

"Oh yes, very much, it seemed like heaven compared to my previous visit to the Headquarters," Bak said with as much friendliness as a bear with a pulsing sore head. "A rather soul-scarring experience… but not to worry, no visible damage has been done."

Well, apparently two months wasn't enough to mitigate someone's grudge. Not that Reever couldn't understand why, but wasn't that a little childish, especially when both men were older (and supposingly smarter) than him. To be honest, at this moment, even a sadistic Noah's company sounded more attractive to Reever.

"Erm… That is good to hear. Has the Asia Branch been faring well recently?" asked Reever out of courtesy. He had heard quite a bit about the Asia Branch's prowess over the last two months and if the rumours about them working ahead of time were true, then it should give Bak something boast about, and hopefully distract him from his surly mood. "I do hope there hasn't been much complication ever since the last episode."

"Well, you know ambushes only falls on your head when you least expected it and it's just best to be prepared for whatever that is to come," Bak commented with an enigmatic air. Reever wondered if the Branch Chief was referring to the possible Akuma attacks on the Branch or subtly hinting at the Supervisor's unexpected invasion.

At any rate, ignorance was bliss and the sensible Section Chief decided it was none of his business. It was only rational to keep out of the feud between both men if he wanted to live longer. It's not like the Branch Chief was going to grant him a direct answer anyway as the man seemed to have branded the Supervisor and the entire Science Division as his life nemesis.

"Well, if it'll put your fears at ease, I can assure you that the Supervisor has been extremely devoted whenever it concerns Miss Fou's project," he explained, attempting to temper the hostility as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was another showdown between the two idiots over something so trivial. "And I'm sure you'd like to know that Miss Fou is doing fine as well."

"Should that be any concern of mine?" he said impassively, almost bored.

"Erm, I believe so. Isn't that why you are here?" Reever asked, slightly perturbed at the Branch Chief's aloofness. Wasn't it only two months ago that the very same man had stormed the building all for the sake of his guardian deity? "To retrieve Miss Fou?"

"Don't delude yourself with such sentiments, Section Chief. I'm only here because one of my duties dictates so, and that is to accompany the troublemak— Supervisor to the Holy City for the upcoming annual meeting. A task which displeases me but nevertheless, it's the only reason I'm here. Everything else beyond that is secondary."

"Oh, I didn't realise that. I guess it is really tough being a Branch Chief, eh?"

"It's more than the name, but I don't suppose it's something that you would understand," he said with the same charm that made him as attractive as a stink bomb. "Unlike some people, I take my duties very seriously, no matter how distasteful it may seem. Men of the Chang clan are made of steel, escaping from duties does not become of us."

Reever had never wanted to shove his revolver down someone's throat so badly before, save the other time Komui destroyed two weeks' worth of _written_ work with a pitcher of coffee... make that a _big_ pitcher of coffee.

Instead, he patted the gun in his pocket lightly and tried to calm himself. No point getting all worked up over the Branch Chief's callous comments. It was not like Branch Chief's antagonism for the Headquarters – the Supervisor in particular – was misplaced and in some way, Reever could say that it was very well-deserved. After what Komui did to this poor man earlier, it was a miracle that he would even still acknowledge the existence of that menace.

"I do hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the Supervisor for all his misgivings. I know I'm asking much from you and truthfully, while I don't think he deserves any of it at times, I must say that he has been rather attentive to Miss Fou's well-being while she's here," said Reever in a placating tone. "If it makes you feel better, I can guarantee you that he devoted his full attention to her, even at the cost of disregarding other more pressing matters."

"Playing the peacemaker again, Reever?"

"Pardon?"

"Fear not, for I can assure you that I bear no ill will towards the Supervisor. As you know, holding a grudge can be so tiring and I have neither the spare time nor energy to do so," he admitted in a neutral tone that unnerved the Section Chief, who was actually more accustomed to him shouting. "Do not misunderstand me, Section Chief Reever, I'm not angry about him, not the least bit at all. I have come to accept the fact that there's nothing that can be done about him. But these are trying times and between managing a busy office and dealing with a rather… tricky superior, I honestly have no time to trouble myself with an ungrateful and bratty gatekeeper who spats on my regards like dirt."

Oh, so that's what he's upset about. It was so obvious. Inwardly, Reever smacked himself on the head for not realising this earlier.

"Don't speak in such a hurtful manner. I'm sure Miss Fou has your best interest at heart," he spoke kindly.

"Considering the circumstances, I have all the rights to retain the benefit of doubt if she ever harbours any concern for me. After all, she swats me away like a fly and seems to find pure enjoyment in harassing me," he grumbled, pouring out his frustration. "You've had the chance of being in her constant company for the last two months... surely you understand what I mean."

"I'm afraid not. She hardly ever leaves the Supervisor's personal lab and I've only met her a few times in passing. But I must say that Miss Fou had not been a bother and was most cooperative and helpful during the entire process," he added, trying to bring forth a good word for Miss Fou. It would be a shame if they reunite under such hostility, all because the Branch Chief misunderstood her intentions.

"Has she now?" That's strange. Fou never did the same for him. Usually he had to resort to cheating and conning his way through in getting her to do what he wants. What had he ever done to deserve such undeserving treatment from her? He was about to voice out his displeasure when he realised he really didn't want anyone, especially the nosy folks in the Headquarters to know that he was incapable of controlling his own guardian.

"Well, yes," answered Reever earnestly, completely missing the sarcasm in the Bak's voice. "Although I did not head the project, I did compile the progress into weekly reports which I forwarded to you upon completion. I figured that you, more than anyone else, must be anxious in finding out about her development and also to keep track of the Supervisor's actions."

"Maybe," he said, the corner of his lips unhinged a little and his eyes were shifty, almost guilty.

"You don't have to worry, I won't tell on you," Reever said with an understanding smile, giving Bak a friendly pat on the back. "Heck, I would be worried sick too if my sweetheart was left in the care of the Supervisor," he added jokingly.

Sometimes, silence is such a neglected virtue.

"What sweetheart!" Bak screeched in an unbelievably high pitched voice that made Reever flinch and backpedalled to the far wall instinctively. The Chinese man wore an expression of one who had been utterly scandalized and he was staring at the Section Chief as though he had just committed a cardinal sin. "She's the pest of an heirloom that I inherited from my great grandfather. My worst nightmare, that's what she is!"

"But I thought...," Reever said in a meek, shaky voice. Maybe if he pulled his gun fast enough, he might only lose a limb, or part of a limb.

"You thought wrong! Whatever gave you the demented idea that I would be romantically involved with a girl that looks and acts as though she hasn't gone through adolescence? What do take me for, some kind of sick paedo... I mean, _are _you questioning my integrity?"

"No, certainly not. I know you to be a man of good character where women are concerned," Reever quickly assured the Branch Chief as fear assaulted him.

Until then, Reever had strongly believed that if it ever comes down to a physical fight, he could take down that midget any day without even breaking a sweat. He didn't spend hours blowing up targets at the shooting range for nothing. But looking at the Branch Chief now, he wasn't quite sure if he could make it out of the corridor alive or even intact. Seriously, Bak looked... well, savagely bloodthirsty and more than ready to butcher him and redecorate the walls with his blood and guts.

"Then, how in God's name did you conceive such an insane assumption?" demanded Bak, his face livid and red. Before Reever's brains could even formulate a proper response, the Branch Chief pointed an accusing finger at him. "Nevermind, don't tell me! It's the Supervisor, right?"

The look on Reever's face must have given away the answer.

"That presumptuous vermin! That despicable worm, spreading rumours like a pestilence. One of these days, maybe today, I'm going to squash him like the bug he is," Bak said, clenching his fist forcefully to accentuate his point. "And you, Reever, get your facts right before making a comment. Don't feed yourself with assumptions and believe falsehood to be true. Only old hags and idiotic Supervisors with too much time in their hands do such things!"

"Right, yes." Honestly, Reever would have agreed to _anything_, just as long they maintain that comfortable distance between them. While Bak didn't move any closer, his sharpened glare was definitely enough to make Reever feel as though he was crucified to the wall. "I'm truly sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Just... just make sure I don't hear of this again," Bak warned, eyes flashing with undulated anger. "Frankly, I abhor the thought of my clean reputation being sullied by tasteless gossips and to be associated with the likes of her in _that _manner_._"

"It won't happen again." At least not on his part but being Reever, he made a mental note to warn everyone, paste a big memorandum note on the notice board or a midnight public announcement if he had to. "Ever."

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," he said, finally calming down. A few more minutes passed in silence, with Reever still plastered on the wall, praying silently for mercy and the Branch Chief pacifying his anger quietly. Just when Reever thought it was never going to end, Bak broke the silence with an unusually civil voice. "Come, let us put this behind us and proceed to the appointed place, shall we?"

Reever had never met the Millennium Earl in person before (not that he's complaining or anything), but he surmised that the evil Overlord wouldn't look much different from the Branch Chief right now, especially from the manner he extended his invitation, much like a cat baiting a mouse. Unlike a rodent however, Reever didn't have a choice to decline.

"Yes, of course. With pleasure," he lied, as he eased himself away from the wall.

During the remainder of the journey, Reever's hand was glued safely to his gun, holding it tightly as life itself. He coerced his feet to walk slowly despite the fact that all the muscles in his body were urging him to run as fast as he could, away from the Branch Chief. Surreptitiously, he stole a glance at the other man, noting that he was sauntering at a leisurely pace behind him and had suddenly taken a great interest in the cracks and holes around him.

Thanks to that, they took almost forever to reach the cafeteria even though it was only few corridors away.

"Here we are!" announced the Section Chief a little too cheerfully when they finally arrived, obviously glad that the worse was over. "Are you ready, Branch Chief Bak?"

"What's there to be ready for?"

"Well, this _is_ the Supervisor we are talking about, it just feels right to be emotionally and physically prepared," he explained and Bak did see a point in his reasoning. "But, putting that aside, he has certainly outdone himself this time and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when you see Miss Fou."

"I highly doubt so, nothing Komui does can ever shock me these days," Bak spoke with an air of confidence mingled with worldly weariness.

Seriously, after the last time, how could he ever expect to be surprised by anything at all?

To be frank, Bak had never entertained the thought that Komui would be sincere in working on Fou's upgrade, no, not even with Reever's assurance. He didn't even need to read those reports to know that Komui could never perform a better job than himself in this endeavour. What could that man do that he couldn't? For all he care, Komui could boast, lie and forge fake documents to prove his superiority and it still would not matter because Bak was absolutely confident that he could best the Supervisor even with his eyes closed and hands tied.

Besides, it was Fou they were dealing with. What kind of upgrade did she required anyway? His great grandfather's invention was perfect. On top of that, knowing Komui fairly well, it was very likely that his idea of an upgrade was to grow a horn or two on her head, install a set of vampiric fangs into her mouth or even attached a bushy tail to her back. Whatever it was, Bak had no doubt that he would have to spend the next few days reversing all the damages.

At the thought of the extra workload, Bak heaved a long tired sigh.

"True. I mean if you had perused all the reports I've sent to you, I'm sure you would have an inkling of what has transpired... but trust me, you _will be_ speechless," Reever said with unwavering conviction.

"Try me," Bak challenged back, pushing the doors wide open with a hard shove.

000

The moment Bak stepped into the cafeteria, he realised that there was something extremely fishy about the place. First, it was strangely crowded despite the fact that it was way past break time. Secondly, a good portion of crowd wasn't even eating and was gathered at the other far end of the room, forming a little conglomeration of their own. Third, most of them were in lab coats, an indication that the unusually rowdy bunch were personnel from the Science Division.

Right in the centre of the crowd sat Komui, or more rightly put, the Devil Incarnate, resting comfortably on a huge armchair. He was beaming brightly with pride as he revelled in the glowing adoration of his subordinates around him. Something which, by all means, should not be happening!

"My word, Supervisor, you did it!" said one of them loudly.

"Fantastic, simply fantastic!" another agreed appraisingly.

"Elle est magnifique! Vous êtes magnifique!" complimented another with enthusiasm.

"You deserve a knighthood, a lordship, the crown of England for your success!" There were bursts of approving cheers and thunderous clapping from the crowd, the kind that a king would receive upon his ascension to the throne.

"All hail Komui!" Some of them made exaggerated genuflecting gestures, bowing till their heads touched their knees while others roared out in jovial laughter and clapped their hands loudly. Soon enough, everyone around him followed suit and cheered on the top of their lungs until Bak could feel the whole room shake. "All hail Supervisor Komui!"

"Oh, stop it. All of you!" ordered Komui sternly and immediately the rowdy crowd quiet down, obviously taken aback by his harshness. Then, slowly, the Supervisor raised both his hands, covered his cheeks and swayed around shyly. "You guys are making me blush!"

Everyone in the room burst out in laughter, except the Asia Branch Chief who remained quite stupefied.

Bak always sensed that there was something weird with the Headquarters and its residents but now, he was staunchly convinced that they had all finally gone mad. Bonkers! Either someone poisoned the food or one of Komui's inventions must have malfunctioned to bring about such disturbing behaviour. Why would anyone in the world sing praises to Komui? For crying out loud, the only thing that the man deserved was a series of public flogging in the city of London!

He turned to stare at Reever, whose face was flushed red from trying to hold back his amusement. Was this man infected too? Honestly, Bak didn't see any hilarity in this madhouse and he gave the taller man a questioning look that demanded instant answers for the absurdity of the situation. "I told you you'll be speechless," was all Reever could say.

Bak was more than speechless. Actually, if he could, he would have fainted right there and then like a damsel in distress because he darn well feel like one. If this was some kind of warped nightmare, his prince(es) charming should wake him up with a kiss just about now!

"Earth to Bak Chang, come in Bak Chang," Reever bellowed into his ears, waving and snapping his fingers in front of the shorter man's face a few times to bring him back to reality. Bak blinked, his eyes slowly gathering back its focus and he stared at the Section Chief with a disbelieving look, his face giving a good imitation of a fish out of water.

"Did somebody say Bak-chan?"

Instantaneously, all heads were drawn to him, their eyes sparkling with unconcealed eagerness and Bak gulped down a large lump of air, feeling extremely self-conscious and uneasy at the attention.

"Ah, finally. The man that we've all been waiting for," Komui said, clapping his hands together and waving zealously, almost slapping his subordinates around him. Bak watched as he rose from his chair, gallantly flicking his overcoat like a king adjusting his mantle, and then, he turned to his side. It was then that Bak noticed that there was a young lady seated on the arm of the chair. Gently, Komui placed a hand on her bare shoulder and shook her lightly. "Miss Fou, look who's here."

She turned. His heart careened into a fatal stop.

It was Fou.

Only... it _couldn't_ be her.

Because, if he remembered correctly (and he did very well), the Fou he knew was supposed to be a scrawny scallywag who had the face of an adolescent despite clocking more birthdays than his own grandmother.

So, who in the world was this young lady?

The girl, whom Komui addressed as Fou but couldn't possibly be, must have been about Lenalee's age, perhaps slightly older but certainly not a day more than eighteen. Standing next to Komui, she seemed rather short – then again, only giants could tower that overgrown imbecile – but she would probably measure up to the base of his chin whereas Fou couldn't even reach his shoulder.

In fact, Bak would have believed that she was human if it weren't for her marble-smooth complexion, so perfect and unblemished that it would have been impossible for any human to possess. Sporting a petite, slender figure, the girl would have looked deceptively delicate and dainty if it wasn't for the unusual liveliness in her startling red eyes. All in all, Bak would have considered her quite a remarkable specimen to behold.

But the most distinctive feature about her must have been the fact that she was clad in nothing but a purple bikini-like outfit that transcended all boundaries of Victorian propriety and common decency alike!

No wonder the men were cheering.

Though honestly, Bak felt more like crying like a baby at that point.

No language in the tongues of men could even come close to expressing his horror at the realisation that this shamelessly under-dressed young lady was indeed, the one and only spiritual guardian of the Asia Branch.

"F…Fou…?" he stuttered, too paralysed for anything else.

"You are late," she said, strangely emotionless.

What followed afterwards happened so fast that Bak didn't even have a chance to react properly. One minute she was at one end of the room, the next thing he knew, a foot was connected to the side of his skull. His usually quick mind didn't even have the time to register or defend himself from the potentially lethal paw-to-jaw greeting which sent him rocket-flying across the room.

"What took you so long, Baka Bak?" Fou shouted furiously as he pirouetted out of the room, crashing through the wooden door, his journey ending abruptly only when his back collided painfully with the wall outside the cafeteria. Bak was positive he heard something crack despite Fou's booming voice permeating the vicinity. "What did you do, huh? Got lost on way to the loo again? Sheesh, and I thought you would have outgrown that by now."

Now, Bak was more than ready to counter her baseless accusation – and if he could, hold her by the shoulders and shake some senses into her – if only the room would stop spinning so violently. Whenever he tried to sit up, the floor would give way beneath him, causing him to lose his balance and tumble back. Also, Bak wondered why were there stars orbiting around his head? Sure, Fou was powerful – heck, he was willing to bet every last shilling that she was modelled after Hercules – but she couldn't have possibly kicked him all the way up to the moon, could she?

"Hey idiot, what's up?" she said, the sternness in her voice ebbing slightly as he heard frantic footsteps running towards him. He wanted to answer her, the two of her? One Fou was bad enough but two? Six? Twelve? Bak was about to tell her to stop multiplying when he realised he was unable to move his mouth without feeling intense pain.

"Oh god, you've dislocated his jaw," somebody shouted. Right, no wonder he couldn't talk and what's this wet substance dribbling down his lips anyway, it didn't taste like blood or syrup for sure.

"He's coughing up froth," another exclaimed. Oh, so _that_ was it. At any rate, Bak wished they would just stop shrieking into his ears, they were giving him a massive headache. "Miss Fou, I think you've just killed him!"

"Someone run and get a medic… quick!" The third ordered, a slightly more authoritative voice taking charge of the situation. Subsequently, more orders were relayed and Bak felt himself being lifted off the ground – he couldn't be too sure, everything seemed hazy, jelly-like and the voices around him were fading away into the distance.

"Baka Bak!" yelled a voice near to his ear.

That was the last thing he heard before his world turned black.

000

A/N: ... When I said 'upgrade', how many of you saw that coming? (grins)


	4. What Comes Around Goes Around

**A/N:** ... All I can say is that I'm glad that I'm finally done with this chapter. When this broke the word count of my first chapter, I knew something was fundamentally wrong with me D: This was not meant to be a long chapter, initially, this was suppose to be the short chapter while I go crazy in the next one...

Now, I fear for my next chapter (which actually had more scenes than this one) because a longer chapter means that I need more time to write. Maybe, I'll try to trim it down...

Still, thank you so much for reading and hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always welcomed and loved :)

oo0oo

Walk the World

- Chapter III -

What Comes Around Goes Around

oo0oo

"... he's coming around," said a male voice. Relief.

"... about time!" said a female voice. Annoyed.

"... this might help," said the same male voice. Helpful.

"... let me do it," said the same female voice. Eager.

With that, Bak experienced the rudest awakening that he ever had in his life. It was one thing to be roused by smelling salts, not a great experience by far and quite embarrassing to say the least, but to have the entire bottle shoved rudely right up his nostril... that was just... plain hell.

Instantly, Bak's eyes shot wide open and he knocked the bottle out of his face, rolling to the side of the bed gasping for air. The odour was so overwhelming that it could quite literally fell great men or revived the dead alike and the sensation was something akin to being choked, slapped and punched simultaneously in the face. A shade of sickly purplish hue amassed on his face as he gagged, tongue out and coughing the repugnant taste from his abused lungs.

It wasn't a pretty picture.

"A sniff would have sufficed. You weren't supposed to force the bottle up his nose!" reprimanded the male voice.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" said the female voice cockily, not a trace of remorse in her tone.

"It worked all right," Bak croaked, clutching the sheets tightly as he drew a deep breath after releasing the last of the foul air that he had consumed. He groaned, massaging his jaw lightly, feeling a slight twitching pain every time he spoke. Turning around, he glared at the person who had caused him such grief – a petite redhead who happened to be grinning rather smugly at him as she twiddled the small bottle in her hand. Far from being sorry, she certainly looked as though she was expecting him to voice his eternal gratitude to her for bringing him out of coma.

A situation which was unlikely to occur any time soon.

"What are you trying to do? Bloody kill me?" he demanded angrily, shooting his most piercing glare at her, one which could even intimidate the hearts of braver men. Well... most men at least, Komui didn't count. Though, if he was hoping to scare the young girl with his super-scary-glare-of-death, he would be sorely disappointed as not only that she didn't cower in fright like she ought to, she actually looked thinly amused.

"Hmm... if I had wanted to, you'd be dead by now," she drawled, tossing the bottle behind her carelessly. As if on cue, Won released an unmanly shriek and leaped forward, catching the bottle seconds before it touched the ground. "Anyhow, it'll take more than that to kill you, Bakroach."

"Miss Fou, please don't be so harsh on Master Bak," Won said, picking himself off the floor, slightly out of breath. He stuffed the bottle in his pocket and moved next to his young master, mollycoddling the man by propping up the pillow behind him with nanny-like efficiency and tucking the covers around his body – quite unaware of Bak's offended look. "He's probably just a little disoriented and confused right now. After all, you did unhook his jaw and smashed him to the wall like a housefly."

"Silence Won, I don't recall asking for an opinion," scolded Bak, sitting up and brushing away his servant's attempt to assist him. Won might have served as his most loyal servant for more than two decades but it didn't change the fact that Won could be quite tactless at times and would say the darnedest of things that undermine his dignity... or worse, treat him like some sort of helpless invalid. Without feeling even a semblance of pity for the forlorn old man, whose head was drooping dangerously low from disappointment, he switched his hard gaze to the other person in the private ward.

"Who are you?" he asked, staring lengthily at the inappropriately-dressed girl.

"Gatekeeper of the Asia Branch, reporting for duty," she announced airily with a single hand mock salute. She smiled so sweetly that for a brief... a _very_ brief moment, Bak thought she was as harmless she looked. Then, she balled her hand (arm, flappers, or whatever it was) into a fist and struck his head – missing narrowly only to hit his arm – and he yelped, the blow hurt less than what his head had suffered earlier but it was still painful. "I'm Fou, stupid, who else?"

Of course, Bak would be blind if he could not see the resemblance. But just because he could see, it doesn't mean his brain could process the information.

"No, you are not!" he growled back, rubbing his sore limb. How dare this rambunctious lass strike him as she pleases? Doing it once was already unforgivable, twice was total sacrilege. "Don't take me for a fool. It might have been two months since I last saw her – thank heavens for that – but I can recognize my own gatekeeper when I see her. As for you, I don't know who or what you are but you are certainly not Fou."

"Can you believe it?" she turned to Won and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm standing right here and he can still be in denial. Some genius he is."

"Frankly, I don't even care who you are but I believe you should at least show me the respect that my station deserves?" The young stranger just rolled her eyes in response and stuck a tongue childishly at him. How impertinent! "Also, could you promptly cease with the poor impersonation of my gatekeeper, I believe the entire getup is in rather poor taste."

Bad move. With both hands, the Fou-impostor seized his collar and dragged him up, an impossible feat for a normal girl, until their eyes levelled with each other. She shot him a piercing glare and he mirrored hers bravely in return as Won fidgeted and fluttered at the corner, begging for a temporary truce. There was no way, not in a million years, that he would ever cave into her threats, he despised unreasonable violence almost as much as he hated Komui and he wasn't about to falter in his opinion just because some Fou-look-alike demanded him otherwise, no, not even if she was choking him to death with her grasp.

"Won," she said, her eyes still planted firmly on him. "If I hit him on the face again, you think he'll stop being stupid?"

"Personally, I think I've suffered quite enough physical abuse from you upon our first meeting," he said wryly, prying her fingers off his collar. Her fingers were small and slender but it clamped onto his shirt with the grip of a stubborn crab. "I also believe it would be nice if we could cease all future contacts with each other," he snubbed her, maintaining a polite but condescending tone.

"This is seriously worse than talking to a retard. He can't even accept the truth even if it slapped him in the face," she complained, tightening her grip on Bak's shirt and shook him violently, pushing and pulling him back alternately. "Focus, Baka Bak and look at me properly. I am Fou, the one and only. Get it into your thick skull already."

"That is a _lie_!" he roared back and she released him, somewhat surprised. "I don't know how much Komui paid you to stage this crazy stunt but you are not going to fool anyone, especially me with your unsightly display. For one thing, you look nothing like her! If anything, you are a poor imitation!" he asserted stubbornly, his voice matching hers. "Now, if you please, could you stop with this foolishness and return Fou to us?"

"Give me a break! I am Fou, how many times do I have to say it?" she slapped a hand over her forehead, slightly desperate. Somehow, her distress made Bak feel extremely satisfied – revenge is, after all, a dish best served cold. "Or maybe I'll prove myself better if I remind you of your dirty little secrets!"

"What little secrets?" he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "I own a clean slate. I have nothing more to hide than the sun," he proclaimed loudly, with the sort of conviction that could fool a lie-detector.

"Pah! If I have my say in this, the first thing you should hide from public is your big fat ego," she said, punctuating the last three words. "And get over yourself, Baka Bak, it was not so long ago that you would run crying to me _every single time_ your cousins bully you."

A twitch in the eyebrow was the only thing that betrayed his otherwise neutral expression. "That was a long time ago! It was 5 to 1. Anyone would have asked for help! Besides, it was just a bad childhood experience, hardly anything of consequence!"

"But it's an embarrassing secret that you won't tell anyone, right?"

"Well, I did mention it to Komui once, _by accident_, and I would hardly be surprised if he had been the one to spread the bad word about me. That goon has always been after my skin, to smear my reputation, slander my good name. I swear he sees my glorious existence to be a threat to his position."

"For a moment there, I was beginning to miss your humility," she answered sarcastically. "Fine, let's talk about your first crush then. I recall it pretty much ended in tears, with you crying non-stop for three days straight. I've never seen anything more pathetic in my whole life, and I've lived for a _very_ long time. How many people know about your ultimate failure in love?"

"For your information, the only reason I failed in my first love was because some nosy gatekeeper couldn't keep her nose where it is suppose to be. And no, I don't go around spreading stories about my lost-love but secrets can never be well-kept when one is unfortunate enough to be saddled with a snooping superior who is always out for blackmail material."

"Yeah, blame everyone else. That's about all you are ever good at," she said, sweeping her bangs from her face. "Then, what about the time I impersonated you and jokingly flirted with Komui! Remember, my impersonation was so perfect that even the lame excuse of a cheating girlfriend of yours never found out."

Unimpressed, Bak snorted. "Firstly, I can't help it if some women are more attracted by glitter than gold. If they fail to see pass my exterior charm and realise the man beneath, it's their lost. Secondly, do make an attempt with originality. Everything you know about me was fed to you by Komui and without doubt, you are in cahoots with him to conspire against me."

"Conspire? Don't make me laugh, you are not even worth our time," she said derisively, rolling her eyes. Despite her arrogance, he could see that she was running out of ways to convince him and he smirked to himself. "Strange though, I never knew you and Curly were so close that you would share all your secrets with him, especially the embarrassing ones," she mused.

"We are not _close_. We are not even friends. Trust me, it was an honest mistake which I haven't quite forgiven myself yet," he admitted, a tinge of despair in his voice that faded instantly – he had no time to wallow in self-pity, especially in front of an _enemy... _or should he say, an accomplice of the enemy. "Now, is that all? Because if that's all there is to it, I'm fairly certain you know nothing that would threaten my position. Hate to break it to you but I am yet to be convinced."

"Fine, I still have one more secret which I'm _very_ sure Curly doesn't know!" she revealed, a wicked expression stretching across her pretty face.

"Do your worst, young lady and begone, your mere presence exhaust me," he said, flicking a dismissive motion. He decided that he had wasted too much time on this impostor who did nothing but cause him more headache.

"I know for a fact," she smiled, moving closer until her lips were just beside his ear and she leaned in and whispered softly. "That you are in love with Lenalee Lee."

Bak literally froze. A flash of Lenalee's gentle, angelic smile flitted through his mind before being replaced by images of brutal death and blood gore through inhuman mutilation in the hands of a homicidal Supervisor. Yes, his romantic affection for the young lady Exorcist was the one secret that her brother didn't know.

And God help him if Komui ever finds out.

Wait, maybe Allen Walker spilled the beans on him! Not that Bak wished to doubt the young man's ability in honouring his own words but everyone and their grandmother was aware that the young white-haired Exorcist could be easily baited by a few sticks of Mitarashi Dango. He would probably even sell his own soul away if someone offered to clear off his master's debts for him.

It must be Allen.

"I also know you keep a picture of her inside your pillow," she revealed slyly, her voice breaking his thoughts. "Creep."

Okay, maybe it was not Allen.

While she might have gotten wind on his affection for Lenalee from Allen Walker or some of the more perceptive folks, no one, not even Won ever discovered the picture inside his pillow. In fact, the only reason one loud, nosy gatekeeper managed to find out was because she decided to ambush him in his sleep one morning by playing the role of a shrilly alarm clock and slug him senseless with his pillow. It was one of the most terrible mornings he ever had to endure (second only to being wakened up by smelling salts) and it had only gotten worse when said gatekeeper fished out his dearly beloved's picture from the midst of shredded cloth and scattered goose feathers.

Bak still had terrible nightmares of the sinister expression that she gave him then, a sadistic smile which was quite similar to the one that this lady was wearing currently.

"Now, I don't know what Curly is going to do to you when he finds out but I'm definitely looking forward to it. If you are lucky, he might just rip you apart and drown you in acid. But, who knows, Curly can be quite creative given the situation!" she cackled evilly, a sadistic laughter which sent chills down his spine.

"W—w—what are you saying?" he stammered, squeaking, all the blood draining from his face and he was as pale as a ghost. "Lies!"

"Is it? Well then, I'll just have to get her brother to reconfirm it," she said gleefully, rubbing her hands as she spun on her heels and headed for the door. "YO, CURLY!"

In a heartbeat, Bak's hands shot from behind her and clamped tightly over her mouth. He knew, if she took but one step out of the room, he was as good as dead. He dragged her away from the door, hauling her back until they were both seated on the bed.

"All right, I get it! It's you," he said, growling into her ear as he released her. There was a victorious smile on her face, the smile that he was so familiar with. Then, the truth struck him. "Oh my god, it _is_ you."

With that, he slumped onto the floor dejectedly and buried his head in his hands, much like a prisoner condemned to his death. Truth to be told, he had been expecting, prepared even, for a full blast disaster to come out of this entire upgrade project, but this... this was a grand scale _catastrophe of epic proportions_.

He couldn't even bear to think of the penalties that he would have to face when his family discovered what happened to their ancestral spiritual guardian – for sure, the strict grand elders of the Chang clan would throw a hissy fit and clobber him to death for allowing Komui to violate the sanctity of their property, his own peers were going to question his sanity and doubt his leadership and then, the inquisitive little Chang children, _oh dear those precocious brats_, were bound to raise many awkward, unwanted questions.

At the thought, Bak wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry too, but mostly, he just wanted to die.

"You know," said Fou, her voice wary as Bak rocked back and forth on the floor, hands clutching his head, seemingly on the verge of having a severe mental breakdown. "I don't see why this is so hard to believe."

"Not hard to believe?" he asked, tears peeking out from the corners of his eyes. "Fou, have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently?"

"Of course I did. That's the first thing Curly made me do once the upgrade was completed. This new form took me a while to get used to but I thought I look pretty much the same – same hair, same face, same clothes… yup, still the same ol' me," she said, patting herself on the chest proudly.

"Pray tell in what sense are you the same?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off a coming headache. "Because from what I can see, you look as different as heaven and earth."

"Okay, maybe I look a little older," she said, giving herself a quick once over. She blew her crimson bangs aside and bent down towards him, until her face was all he could see and she looked at him expectedly, a playful smile on her lips. "So, do you like it?"

If Bak had not been so weighed down by the situation or if he had been less livid or if only he had not been so tired, perhaps, he would have not reacted so violently.

"Hell no!" he snapped back. Her grin dropped into a frown, a reaction which puzzled him. What? Was she actually expecting him to congratulate her? In deep frustration, he caught her by the shoulders and began to shake her forcefully. "What has Komui done to you?" he screamed, followed by streams of unintelligible muttering in a language that neither Fou nor Won could understand.

"Stop being such a drama queen, Queen Bak," she said, shrugging off his hands. Where he had held her were harsh red marks, marring her fair skin. "And speak a language I know," she slapped his cheek lightly to bring him out of his hysterics; only then Bak realised he had unconsciously slipped into German. "Curly was only doing his job! And personally, I think he did great, if not, satisfactory. What kind of miracle were you expecting anyway?"

"I was not expecting miracles, at least, not from Komui. I was only expecting changes. Reasonable changes. Maximizing of power, increase of speed, improvement in communication, dash it, he could even make you sprout fire for all I care. I just don't see how this new façade of yours could actually contribute to the efficiency of your service. You are a gatekeeper, not a...!" he paused timely, just before the insult flew out of his mouth.

"Not a what?" she said, daring him to continue. Curse her super hearing, he thought.

"Never mind, it's not important. There are other things I would much rather discuss right now," he replied, changing the subject before Fou could press on. "Now, I want you to tell me, sparing no details, why on earth did you allow Komui to toy with your appearance? Three months ago, you stubbornly insisted on an upgrade, even at the expense of deserting the Asia Branch and for better or worse, I consented to it, letting you both have your way because you wouldn't heed my advice anyhow. To be honest, I was expecting nothing but trouble from the both of you but this… this just doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, how does altering one's appearance could even constitute as an acceptable upgrade?"

"Actually... I don't think I get it either but since Curly said it was necessary, I just went along with it," she explained as Bak's mouth dropped to the floor, wondering what sort of logic, if any, operated in her brain. Frankly, who in their sane mind would ever take Komui's opinion seriously anyway? "Look, I didn't ask to have this new form, okay," she said to his abysmally horrified face. "Curly said it was for the best, so I agreed to it. If you have any complaints, tell it to him."

"You don't have worry about that, I shall pay him a visit soon enough," he said assuredly, almost snarling. Oh yes, his meeting with the Supervisor was as sure as the fall of Pompeii, and most likely, twice as destructive. "To do some damage control."

"I don't even know why are you making a big fuss out of this," she said, stepping away from him. "You of all people should know what's going on around here. You always said you have eyes and ears all over the place – though I think it's just because you want to stalk Lenalee – so why are you acting so surprised now. Anyway, I thought Beaver update you every week?"

"Beaver?"

"Yeah, Section Chief Beaver, head of the Crime Division," she affirmed confidently, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. Bak winced visibly, honestly wishing she would stop doing that, it might be a gesture that was easily overlooked when she possessed a child's body but now, it was just indecent.

"It's Section Chief _Reever_, the leader of the _Science _Division," he corrected impatiently. It seemed that Komui made no move to fix her short-term memory after all.

"Isn't that what I said?"

"No, you called him Beaver, which is the name of a species of bucktooth rodent found in—," he explained.

"_Whatever_," she cut him short, waving him away dismissively. "It's not important anyway. The point is that I'm faster and stronger!" she declared, curving one of her hands in the same manner that body builders usually do and patted the muscle on her arm for emphasis. Great, trust Fou's definition of an upgrade to reside on purely on brute strength. She probably wouldn't have cared if Komui turned her into a dragon if it meant that she would be bestowed with the all-mighty power that she so desired.

But Fou wasn't a dragon! No, she had become something far more devastating! Supervisor Crazy Komui had transformed her into the single most confusing, complex creature that could ever exist.

He turned her into a _woman_.

"Let me repeat this one more time," he said in a controlled voice. "Do you mean to say that, in spite of living here with him for more than two months, you have absolutely no idea, no understanding and not even the slightest comprehension of why Komui gave you a complete makeover?"

"No, well, yeah, sort of," she admitted, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I fell asleep when he was explaining most of the time, it was so boring."

"You fell asleep? You _fell_ asleep!" he repeated incredulously. "Fou, I can't believe you, how could you ever let your guard down when you are up against someone like Komui? Blast it all, even the Millenium Earl couldn't hold a candle to Komui when it comes to mass destruction!"

"Really?" she asked sceptically. "I thought he was perfectly harmless."

Right, Bak had conveniently forgotten that Fou was created without any sense of fear. Nothing in the world could make her cower, not even the grim prospect of death and torture. Fou was born and bred to be the perfect guardian, a soldier through and through. While that would be convenient for her line of work, it also meant that she lacked some common sense.

For instance – Bak studied her carefully – her skimpy attire!

"Sometimes, I wish I had it in me not to care," he grumbled to himself and turned his sights on to Won, a determined look sparked in his eyes. "Won! Remove your shirt!" he ordered.

His old servant, who had been keeping mum at the corner of the room ever since his master forbade him to speak earlier, gave an audible squeak. As the one-true-loyal butler, Won never questioned his master's orders, no matter how ridiculous they might sound, but this was just preposterous. Century-old guardian or not, there was a lady in the room, so stripping down was a big no-no.

"I'm sorry, sir. I do not comprehend," Won said dumbly as he stuck a little finger into his ear, digging the grit. He must have heard wrongly, surely, his own master wouldn't be interested in seeing him, an old man, stark naked. Make no mistake, Won had always considered himself to be quite attractive for a man of his age – with his magnificent height and well-toned muscles – but just because he possessed a body that would make even young men green with envy, it didn't mean he should flaunt it unnecessarily.

"I said: Off with your shirt," Bak repeated, louder as his eyes glanced lower. "And pants too, if you please."

"No, sir," he declined, arms out in surrender. "Surely you won't subject me, an old man who's so near to his grave to endure such humiliation!" he pleaded, hugging himself and his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Master Bak, I beg you. Please don't make me do it."

"What are you blathering about?" the Branch Chief asked, ignoring the old man's pleas as he yanked roughly at one of his long sleeves. "I need your clothes to cover her up until you procure some decent clothes for her. Striding around under-clothed might be improper for you but it's unforgivable for her."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" she demanded, tugging at Bak's sleeve to get his attention. "I've been wearing it for almost a century, no one has ever complained," she reasoned.

And thus, a tug of war between the three took place, with the old man resisting the young man's attempts to force him out of his clothes for the young girl whom stubbornly insist that her current attire was just fine and stylish. Pulling back and forth roughly, their farce met an abrupt end when the Branch Chief accidentally ripped off one of his servant's sleeves.

"Argh! Forget it! Just take my jacket, Fou!" Bak said exasperatedly as poor Won pushed him away and wept over his torn shirt. Reluctantly, the Branch Chief removed his precious jacket and thrust it into her hands. "Wrap it around your waist until Won find something to cover you with. And please, whatever you do, do _not _soil it, unlike your clothes, mine bears my rank and name."

The mischievous look on Fou's face made Bak regretted his actions immediately. He really shouldn't have told her what his jacket meant to him, for it would only provide her with another good reason to soak it in mud. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief as she did as she was told for once and tied it around herself, creating a little white skirt. It didn't cover much, less than what Bak considered appropriate but it would have to suffice temporarily.

"Try not to parade around in public for the time being," he told her and looked at her disapprovingly.

"Of course, as if I'm going to be caught dead with such an ugly coat," she tightened the knot at her waist and let the sleeves dangle loosely. "Yuck."

"Fou, if I hear but one more disparaging comment about my clothes or anything at all, I'm going to…," he threatened, a dark scowl emerging on his face.

"Going to what? Spank me?" she dared him and gave him a rough shove. "Wrestle me to the ground?" Another shove. "Rip your jacket off my body?" Another shove. "Why don't you just try?" she sneered loudly, forcing him backwards until the back of his knee hit the bedside.

"Don't challenge me, Fou!" he warned, biting down the urge to span—strangle her.

"Talk is cheap, take me down like a man if you can!" she taunted and with one last push, he lost his footing and fell clumsily onto the bed.

"Just watch me!" Bak shouted furiously and lunged up at her, determined to purge her existence once and for all – only to be held back by his servant who latched on tightly to his waist. "Let go of me, Won! It's high time I show this insolent minx who's boss!"

"Hah, you want a piece of me, come get it!" she teased, fleeing for the door as Bak finally freed himself from Won's hold by elbowing the man's head violently and knocking him aside.

"Enough of this!" A thundering voice boomed through.

"Matron!" All three of them chorused, their fight momentarily forgotten as their attention was focused on the scarily livid woman at the door. She might be old and somewhat frail, but her stormy presence filled the room and no one dared to move, for fear of the safety of their lives.

"I'd appreciated it if you take your lover's spat out and far away from the infirmary," she ordered, her eyes zooming in on the Branch Chief in particular. "You are disturbing my other patients."

"What lover's spat?" Bak asked in confusion. Then, it struck upon him, like a lightning bolt, what their conversation might have sounded to the ignorant listeners outside. "Wait, no, you've mistaken, we were just…," Bak explained, gesticulating wildly.

"Branch Chief Bak, I'll have you know that I'm not privy to your activities. What you do with your visitors is your own affair, but I would rather you conduct it privately, discreetly and far away from this house of healing. This is your personal ward, not your bed chamber!" she roared, with a voice so loud that even Fou took an involuntarily step back. "Incidentally, as of this moment, you are officially discharged, now remove yourself from this place at once."

"Impossible!" he retorted bravely. "That creature there—yes, the one standing dangerously close to you just bludgeoned my head upon sight and nearly took my life, how could I have recovered so quickly?"

"You exaggerate, Branch Chief Bak. You only suffered a slight concussion and a swollen jaw but otherwise hardly injured," she scolded, her hand seizing his wrist and she took his pulse.

For the briefest of moments, Bak wondered if her definition and perspective of injuries were slightly skewered from the norm, after all, she patches up super humans like Kanda Yu _and_ Allen Walker on a daily basis, so perhaps she had higher expectations for human health and was no longer aware that the general population were actually more fragile than her high standards.

Being exposed to the Headquarters for extended periods of time was a bad influence on the health of one's state of mind.

"You can't throw me out. I'm a patient, what more, an abused patient, with a harasser nipping at my heels," he argued, drawing back his hand and pointing an accusing finger at Fou. "You should be ringing the Scotland Yard instead of threatening to dispose me."

"You have the energy to shout at me, I see that as a sign of complete recovery," she answered him as she jotted down some notes on her clipboard. "I have a message for you. The Supervisor just rang up a while ago and asked if you are conscious yet and that you are to see him at your earliest convenience. Since you are already up and hopping about, I shall give you one more injection and then you may take your leave. Now, I have no objections to you boys playing it rough, but if you are going to kill him in the process, then I would suggest that you find a way to dispose his body too, for I have no intention of taking another troublesome patient or cadaver."

"You don't have to worry. I shall sterilize the crime scene and dump his remains in the incinerator," he promised.

"Do whatever that pleases you, just as long as you sit still while I give you this injection," she said as she carefully filled a (ridiculously large) syringe with some watery substance. At the sight of the needle, Bak eased an uncomfortable gulp of air down his throat – what was she trying to do, put down a horse, he thought. "Would you kindly step out for a moment, Miss Fou?" she added.

"Do I have to, Madame Matron?" Fou asked sweetly, eyes shimmering with saccharine innocence. "I would really like to watch Baka Bak being tortured."

"Run along now," said the Matron as she urged a reluctant Fou gently out of the area and drew the large curtains. All the way, Fou pouted miserably, like a child denied of her favourite teddy bear, or in her case, punching bag. Whatever it was, Bak prayed she would suck in that protruding lip already – if she was hoping to imitate a spoilt child, she was failing badly – because it actually made her look more... inviting than adorable.

And by that Bak meant an invitation for disaster. Seriously, Fou's outfit was driving him insane – as with every single invention that Komui had a hand in, they were usually returned with adverse effects that messes up one's mind. It would have to go, as soon as get his hands on that curly-haired mad scientist. Hopefully soon.

Satisfied with the temporary privacy, Bak rolled up his sleeve, exposing his skinny upper arm to the matron. The old woman took one brief look at his arm, sighed and shook her head. "Turn around and lie on your chest, and ease your waistband a little lower."

"What?"

"You had an injection on your arm earlier. It's unwise for you to have another jab on the same area so soon, unless of course, you would rather walk around with a paralysed hand," she said, motioning for Bak to lie on the bed. He didn't even budge. "And don't flatter yourself with filthy imaginations, young man. You have nothing that I haven't clinically seen before."

"No, I think I can make do without the needle," he said calmly, or at least as calmly as he could manage as he pulled down his sleeve and rolled to the other side of the bed, out of the matron's reach.

"Do not defy medical authorities, Mr Bak," she warned, the syringe in her hand reflecting the light. "You might be the Asia Branch Chief but you're in no position to speak here." Realising the Branch Chief was edging further away from her, she added, "Mr Won, would you kindly help me hold him down, please."

"With pleasure, Madame," he agreed readily, flashing the Matron a toothy grin as he approached his young master carefully, like a farmer ready to snatch his chicken up for dinner. In more peaceful times, Bak would have laughed at Won's attempts in impressing the Matron but right now, all he could think of was how to escape from the room. "Master Bak, forgive me. This is for your own good."

With that, he tackled the young man and threw him on the bed roughly, pressuring him down with his weight. As unmanly as it sounded, Bak shrieked.

"Do you need my help?" Fou asked above all the hoodlum of resistance beyond the curtains.

"No! Don't come in!" he shrieked back in horror as he felt his pants being tugged down slightly and there was a cold brush of alcohol on his skin. "You stay out of this!"

"Thank you for the offer, Miss Fou," she answered instead and Bak struggled with all his might to hitch up his pants while eyeing the curtains, afraid that Fou might suddenly barge in. He thrashed around and was about to sink his teeth into Won's arm when the Matron continued. "But it's fine, having worked here for many years, I've seen much worse. It pains me to say this but I'm rather used to dealing with troublesome patients like him. Besides, I wouldn't want to subject a young girl like you to some rather obscene views. And Mr Branch Chief, I'd appreciate it if you would stop making a scene, you are not a child."

"He's an idiot, that's what he is," Fou shouted from the other side of the curtain.

"Unfortunately, that is one ailment which I can't cure," she said as she watched the so-called genius crawling away under his sheets from his manservant. "Mr Won, hold him down and tight, please. This will only take a second."

For the first time in his life, Bak cursed himself for retaining a kungfu master in his permanent retinue when Won slammed him flat onto the bed and twisted his arm behind his back, constricting all forms of possible movement. He fought like a helpless butterfly caught in a spider web's deadly grip, struggling to no avail and could do nothing but watch as Monster Matron shadowed over him.

"Tell Lenalee I love her," he confessed as he felt pain shot through him from his rear. "And that I'm sorry but I have to kill her brother."

000

With a scalpel blade in one hand and a surgical saw in the other, the two deadliest items that he could find in the nearest surgical ward, Bak marched down the corridor like a man with a purpose.

Or a deranged psycho on a warpath, give or take.

Earlier he had dealt with Fou, the disaster. Now he turned his sights to Komui, the source of the disaster.

Despite his anxiety, however, he saw no reason to hurry himself and walked with a steady pace towards the Science Division's quarters. Komui's death was inevitable. He just needed to locate the man and do what he should have done ages ago. He didn't even spare an extra glance when he passed by the giant human-shape crack on the wall outside the cafeteria, his mind only focused on his intent.

It didn't take long before he arrived at the Science Division office. Although it was long past midnight, the office was still bustling with activities: scientists running back and forth, loud clanking of machines, explosions of failed experiments and cries of help as another scientist fainted from overwork. No surprise, it was Johnny.

"Get him to the infirmary," ordered a deadpan voice behind him. Turning around, Bak found Reever, haggard as ever, seated on a table with his back to him, his eyes still glued firmly to his work as he scribbled away furiously. In fact, the Section Chief was so deeply immersed in his work he didn't even seem to notice the Branch Chief's fiery presence beside him.

Bak cleared his throat.

Shoulders tensed, Reever slowly raised his head. If it was even possible, the Section Chief looked more haggard than usual, his cheeks and eyes sunken, his beard and hair unkempt, his frame almost skeletal and upon seeing him, looked as though he had one foot in the grave. Reever took one swift look at his face and then his hands. The instant he spotted the two weapons, he pointed to the Supervisor's private office. No words were exchanged.

No words needed to be exchanged.

Obviously, the man had no intention of playing the hero and sandwiching himself between a deadly crossfire again. To him, if the Branch Chief wanted to declare war on the Supervisor, it would be his own private business, one that Reever had no plans on diverting, having decided that he had expelled enough efforts on any matter regarding the two men. His subordinates seemed to share his sentiments as they scuttled away, like scared mice, leaving a clean path for the Branch Chief to tread.

Without a word of thanks, the Branch Chief swerved around the corner – just as Reever shouted for everyone to evacuate the quarters – and he entered the Supervisor's domain.

Only to stop still.

Very still.

Unconsciously, Bak backtracked, almost dropping his weapons, his mind unable to process what his eyes were seeing. At the far end of the room, the infamously lazy Supervisor was seated on his desk in deep concentration... working diligently on a few reports. This was indeed a shocking revelation for Bak since he was half-expecting Komui to be goofing around as usual – subsequently, creating havoc, or just playing dead to avoid work.

Seriously, the only other time he had ever seen Komui so committed to his duty was when Reever literally pinned him onto the table at gunpoint – which left him with no other choice. Bak resisted the urge to pinch his own cheek, to assure himself that he was not imagining things, an after effect of his injuries. It was unnerving and somewhat disturbing for him to discover Komui working as he should. Then, as though sensing the presence of another person in the room, Komui lifted his head from his work.

"Why hello, Bak-chan," greeted Komui pleasantly as he dropped his pen and shuffled the papers aside, waving enthusiastically from behind his desk. Happy and well-fed, he was a stark contrast to his subordinates outside. "Glad to see you up and about so soon. You gave us all a fright back there, you know and _stop glaring at me like that, _I wasn't the one who honoured you with that memorable greeting."

Too shocked for words, Bak momentarily forgotten what he was planning to say.

"Oh yes. Right, if it's about Miss Fou, you don't have to thank me," Komui said as he placed a hand over his heart dramatically, as though he was attempting to stop his heart from bursting out, literally, with pride. He didn't sound the least bit pretentious – there was only sincerity in his voice and perhaps, a little pride over his achievement. "Truly, Bak-chan, there's no need of gratitude. I was just doing my duty after all."

Unfortunately, his cheerful disposition did nothing except to blow Bak's anger out of proportion.

"Thank you? I ought to kill you!" he snarled viciously, eyes seeing red as he approached his target.

"Kill me? Why would you want to do so?" Komui said, genuinely shocked at the hostility directed at him. He watched Bak suspiciously and then his face slowly morphed into a look of compassion as he rose from his chair. "Are you sure you are all right, Bak-chan? Or maybe that blow to the head was more severe than I thought. Oh dear, I've repeatedly reminded Miss Fou to be more cautious with her newfound strength since she's still unable to control them properly yet. I think you should return to the infirmary, you don't seem too well."

Apparently, that was enough to make Bak stop in his tracks.

"I'm perfectly fine! The mons... matron personally discharged me. And stop beating about the bush, you know why I'm here!" Bak said, slamming a hard fist onto the desk. The items on the table bounced at the impact and a mug of coffee spilled all over a thick folder – instantly, Komui's hand shot out to save it as he fished a handkerchief out of his pocket, trying desperately to dry the papers. Alas, the folder was damaged beyond repair.

At that, he turned his head and stared crossly at the Branch Chief, lecturing him mutely with his eyes. He opened his mouth, as though he wanted to say something, then slowly he snapped it shut and his lips eased into a pleasant smile, so overly pleasant that it gave Bak goose bumps.

"Of course, of course, I'd expected this questioning session to come about sooner or later," Komui continued and without an extra glance, tossed the drenched folder into the paper shredder. From the way he said it, one would have thought he was expecting some kind of high profile interview and a celebrity photo shoot. "Put down those dangerous toys and have a seat, Bak-chan," he offered, slipping into his own chair on the other side of the table.

"I much rather stand," he declined sulkily, the itch on his rear still pulsing. Besides, standing—towering over Komui gave him a stronger sense of authority, some control over the seemingly hopeless situation, so he stood straight, chin high and shot a basilisk glare at the frivolous man who slumped comfortably in his chair.

"Suit yourself," Komui said cheerily as he poured himself another cup of hot steaming coffee. "Would you like some? Reever bought them for me when he went to town the other day, such a thoughtful man."

"No," he declined curtly, knowing better than to consume anything in the Supervisor's office. You would never know what's inside a seemingly harmless cup of coffee.

"Pity, it's freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain. Only the best of the best," he sipped and sighed contently. His eyes swept over the unfinished paperwork, stacked up at daunting angles that defied gravity, and he scratched his chin. "I know you have a lot of questions, _millions_ by the looks of it, but could you spare me just a few moments and let me sort out these reports before I attend to them?"

On impulse, Bak would have preferred to ignore Komui's request and proceed with the interrogation followed by murder. Instead, he was faced with an inner struggle of professionalism and self-interest, a conflict between his own desires and fulfilling his duties. In the end, he felt that work should take precedence (not to mention, Komui was bound to die in his hands anyway) and he permitted Komui to do as he pleased with a curt nod of approval. With a word of thanks, Komui returned to his work.

Looking around, he chose a spot by the shelves, safely distanced from the dormant Komurin but close enough for him to monitor the Supervisor's actions from the corner of his eye. If that man so much as stop working or attempt anything foolish – for instance, escape through a manhole – he would not hesitate to fire the scalpel in his hand. Duty or no, a Komui who didn't work, didn't deserve to live either. So, there he stood, stone-like and forbidding as a grim reaper, hawking over his prey as the man scribbled away leisurely on his desk.

After an indefinite amount of time, his feet started to ache and the comfort of the chair was almost too tempting to resist. Across the room, Komui was still hunched over some papers, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. The quiet atmosphere was almost peaceful enough lure him to sleep, something which he lacked for the last couple of months. Raising a hand up to his face, he pressed the bridge of his nose, biting down the urge to yawn.

"There we go," cheered Komui suddenly, shocking Bak out of his reverie. Like a prisoner released from jail, the Supervisor punched his fist into the air and slapped his book shut. He lifted his head and gestured enthusiastically for the shorter man to approach. Carefully, Bak made his way across the room and slid into the chair, somewhat relieved but still murder-alert with his weapons ready at hand. "Now, what is it that you want?" the Supervisor asked as soon as they were both comfortably seated.

"What I…! I want an explanation, that's what I want!" Bak exclaimed as he gripped the scalpel tightly, the sharp tip glinting in the light. "Fou, or whatever that overbearing creature is now, failed to provide me appropriate answers about her upgrade when I asked her. In fact, being the irresponsible person she is, she failed to provide me with any answers at all and told me to seek you out instead. So here I am, against my better judgment."

"And she's absolutely right about sending you my way. The matter involves too many technicalities – boring mechanics that would confound even the most indulgent of scientists." For a moment there, Bak _was_ dumbfounded. How did Komui manage to see virtue in what was most obviously a fault on Fou's part? "But, let us skip all those mundane details – you can save that for your bedtime readings later – and address the matter at hand."

Now they were talking…

"All in all, I consider her my greatest success!"

… garbage.

"What do you mean your greatest success?" he said, his voice dropping dangerously low. "She belongs to the Chang clan, you dare lay claims on her?"

"Oh no, dear boy, I didn't mean it that way. I own no claim as to creating her of course, that privilege belongs solely to your great grandfather. You see, I'm not boastful by nature, but you will have to excuse me for feeling this teensy bit of pride over her upgrade, which had been most successful. The results were astounding and her capabilities exceed all expectations."

Oh, she exceeded expectations all right, Bak thought. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever considered the possibility of Fou growing up physically, an idea so absurd that he would have laughed over it for days (except now that it actually happened, he didn't think it was so funny any more). Call him old fashioned, but he had always settled with the idea that his gatekeeper would remain a short, spunky, silly brat who was out to destroy his life.

"Having her sprout a few inches is hardly a great achievement! It's not even necessary!" Bak argued, scowling for all it was worth.

"On the contrary, Bak-chan. A new body is exactly what she needed," Komui insisted.

"Rubbish! If there's something she need, it's a new brain," Bak replied, earning a strange affronted look from Komui. Fine, he might have been slightly callous in his wording but he still didn't believe he was wrong or his comment overly harsh. Considering the fact that Fou still possessed the mentality and behaviour of a spoiled brat even after living for a century, it was quite obvious that her brain, or the lack of it, still left much to be desired.

Realising he was digressing again and the fact that Komui was still alive – much to his chagrin – Bak continued impatiently. "You are wasting my time. I didn't come all the way here for idle chatter. You gave Fou a new body and I want to know why?"

"You mean you don't know?" said Komui, sounding quite surprised. "Strange, I would have thought you were smart enough to work out the math."

"No, in your case, I've always failed to grasp your perverse sense of logic. I don't even understand _why_ did you do half the things you did and I sure as hell don't know _why_ you did what you did to her. I trust you enough to leave her in your care for three months and she comes back to me looking like she's aged an extra ten years or more! So, either you provide me with a reasonable answer for that or I shan't be able to guarantee your safety!"

To his dismay, the Supervisor just grinned, showing a set of sparkling white teeth and Bak decided that this man either had a death wish or he was just unbelievably stupid.

"You know, I'm pretty sure you already have the answers in your heart," Komui said simply. "But since you insist on asking, I shall do my best to answer you and provide you with justifications for all my actions."

"I'm all ears," Bak answered defiantly. "Speak."

"First, her current physical state. Yes, I admit I derived a great deal of pleasure from studying your ancestor's work-of-art and it was certainly one of the most challenging experiences that I've ever faced in my entire career, but I didn't spend one too many sleepless nights cracking into her system just because I wanted to whet my scientific appetite or turn her into a beauty queen. No, my intentions were more selfless, more pure. Miss Fou has to undergo an arduous physical transformation because that was the first step in this upgrade. Without a new body, this project just can't proceed-."

"And why is that so?" Bak cut in suddenly, unable to contain himself. "Is this your idea of a joke or is it because of your incompetence?"

"It was neither, Bak-chan," he replied politely with mild irritation. "I'm getting to it. Oh, and in case you are wondering, her new physical form is not case of random. In fact, I have selected what my readings had suggested to be her most excellent form, one which would allow her to unleash her powers to its maximum potential."

"But who is she modelled after…," Bak asked as the thought came to his mind. Then, the realisation hit him like brick to the nose and he panicked. "Komui, she better not be modelled after one of your ex-girlfriends or grandmother!"

"Hey, my grandmother happens to be a beautiful woman—pretty girls run in my family," he said proudly and Bak certainly didn't feel like contesting him on that point. _Oh, sweet Lenalee, _a ghost of a smile crept onto his face as his mind began to drift away into one of his private fantasies when it was rudely interrupted by a man's voice. "But no, Miss Fou is modelled after no one but herself."

"How could that be even possible?" he said, mildly miffed at being brought back to reality so soon. "Fou wasn't meant to gr—."

"Look, could you stop interrupting for a moment, we're getting no where if you keep on slating your opinions before I can finish," Komui snapped, losing his patience. Gray met purple and both men locked glares in silence, the air cracking between them. After a few moments, Bak back down, realising that if the staring contest were to continue, he would never be able to force any information out of Komui. "Good, I appreciate the silence. Now, as I've mentioned months ago, I did say that the Headquarters have the manpower for this upgrading project, and one of the people I was specifically referring to was General Froi Tiedoll—."

"What does the General has to do with—," he said, clamping his mouth shut when Komui shot him a reproachful look.

"As I was saying, one of the General's many artistic talents is his rare ability to carry out morphology in his paintings or sculptures. Which means, just by observing Miss Fou's original form, he's able to predict her physical growth in a couple of years – assuming that she were to develop like an average healthy person – and map out the basic body structure for us. Combined with my expertise, I was able to create the perfect vessel for Miss Fou," he concluded with satisfaction.

"I understand the concept and its entire process," Bak replied, trying to divert his mind away from the idea of Fou hanging out with the French Exorcist-cum-artist. In his head, bossy gatekeepers and motherly generals just didn't mix and the idea disturbed his refined sensibility. "What I don't understand is how does that relate to Fou's upgrade? I thought you were only planning to increase her strength, attack skills, guarding abilities, communication transmission, generic functions: useful assets that would actually serve a purpose. A new makeover, coupled with a growth spurt is entirely uncalled for!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I would expect you to know better and to think that you and I were usually placed on the same page," Komui said, shaking his head tiredly. "Why a new body is required is simply a matter of elementary physics. Like most objects: the size of the host affects the capacity for storage. In Miss Fou's case, her child body suffers certain limitations whereby she would be unable to withstand a massive upgrade. In a scenario where I were to forcefully inject more power into her small body, there can only be two outcomes, one will be that she expand in size in accordance to her existing structure. You do understand what that means, don't you Bak?"

"She… she'll be fat," answered Bak quietly, a shade of green taking over his face.

"Precisely, and we certainly do not wish to see that happen, don't we?" Bak shook his head frantically with passionate rigour, ridding the repulsive image from his head. "I thought so. At any rate, a bloated figure will be detrimental to any form of combat or extreme motion."

"And the other?" he asked with dreadful trepidation.

"Try stuffing an elephant into a balloon and see what happens."

A horrifying image occupied his mind and Bak had to stamp down the urge to expel his last meal. Suddenly, he felt a dire need of smelling salts as cold sweat ran over his back. It was around then that Bak began to have an appreciation towards Fou's new form. Hands down, it was without doubt the lesser of the two devils.

"Terrifying, don't you think?" Bak gave an involuntary shiver that Komui didn't miss. "Given the tricky situation, I did what I believed to be the best for her."

"You overstepped your boundaries, Komui Lee," Bak said quietly. Boundaries he didn't know existed until today.

"And maybe I did," he agreed readily. "But if I did, it is for the better," he added cheekily.

"I'm not quite sure if I'm fine with it," he said, resting his head on his palm. "I don't believe this," he added, a silent acceptance in contrary to his words.

"Well, you better start believing now, Bak-chan," he said, taking a long sip out of his coffee, letting the words sink in. "You know I find this rather peculiar. In fact, your reaction… your contempt completely baffles me – I don't even understand why are you complaining, especially now, after everything has been said and done. If there was anything not to your satisfaction, you should have stated them earlier, upon the delivery of the weekly reports all those months ago. You could have left some remarks here or suggestions there, and we will certainly see to your demands and make any necessary changes."

Bak couldn't keep eye-contact with Komui. So, all of this happened because of him.

"I even went through the trouble to call you personally through the phone, just to make sure you are satisfied with the progress, but you know, it is _just so hard_ to reach you. Your staffs always tell me you are too busy to take the call. Not to mention, for some reason, the line usually went dead the moment I mention Miss Fou's name. If I didn't know better, I would have thought her name was a taboo or curse or something."

He flinched and fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, like a thousand needles were pricking his backside. Suddenly, he didn't want to be there and sorely wished he was somewhere else, faraway back in China would have been nice. Heck, he was even starting to regret ever having board that train.

"Still, you made no comment after everything I've done, and I certainly couldn't delay the project any longer if I wanted to meet the two months deadline _that you set _for us_. _Therefore, we chose to proceed as planned," he continued. "Now, I'm sorry if you are upset about it but as they say 'silence means consent' and as of recent, you have been playing the part of a tomb quite persistently. I hate to say this, but you have no one but yourself to blame."

Being a genius, it was not within Bak's nature to ever question his own actions and he generally wasn't accustomed to the idea of making the wrong decisions. What more, Bak had always fancied himself as God's gift to mankind – the beacon of light in the hour of darkness, the voice of profound wisdom among the cacophony, the champion of all humans alike – but this once, he felt like the biggest loser to ever exist.

A feeling which he could neither relish nor cope with.

"Look, I know we have our clashes and disagreements on countless occasions, and that you would probably never consider nominating me for the annual 'Best Superior' award. But you must believe me that it was never my intention to upset you and I truly mean no harm. We both have so much to deal with right now with the on-going war and I'm not about to make it any more difficult for you. I might enjoy fooling around but I would have never upgraded Miss Fou into her current form without a valid reason," Komui explained kindly when he noticed his old friend's ashen face.

"Fine, I might have overreacted," he concurred reluctantly, the words rolling off his tongue like bitter medicine. "With good reason," he added when a wide grin spread over Komui's face.

"She grew up to be an attractive young lady, don't you think?" Komui said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"She's not ugly, if that's what you are trying to imply," he replied stiffly. Sure Fou was not a celestial maiden like Lenalee Lee, whose innocent beauty could melt even the hearts of cold-blooded murderers, or even a drop dead gorgeous courtesan like Anita, whose mere presence alone would make staunch, burly men swoon, but she was no ogre. Well, not in the aesthetic sense at least and she did possess a natural charm of her own – with her lively eyes, her confident smirk, her proud spirit – an unconventional beauty who would do the Chang clan proud…

At that, Bak mentally slapped himself – what was he thinking, lord forbid, it was Fou they were talking about. It didn't matter if she looked twelve or twenty, as a general rule, it would be wrong, weird even, for him to ever consider Fou as physically attractive.

"No, she's not, and I bid you good luck in beating off eager young lads that will come barraging at your door," Komui smiled knowingly. "I'm speaking out of experience, everyone knows I have one hell of a time fighting dirty, perverted scoundrels off my doorsteps, I have to protect my pure angel, my little dove from those slimy wolves roaming about."

"Fou can fend for herself if the situation ever arises," he stated confidently. While physically petite, Fou was neither angel nor dove – far from it, she was a gorilla in disguise! "I'm more worried about the safety of those stupid boys, though I highly doubt anyone would be crazy enough to be interested in her in the first place."

"Oh, you have no idea," Komui said sagely. "No idea _at all._"

"If there are, those pathetic fools ought to have their head shrunk. At any rate, the likelihood for such a situation to arise is probably as much as Allen Walker committing to a life of strict diet or Kanda Yu giving up soba for eternity. And I, for one, am not interested in discussing such impossibility."

"Impossibility, you say?" Komui said with a raised brow as he chortled. "Spare me a moment and let me marvel at your naivety. Right before your eyes is the living example of a man who is blessed with a beautiful young sister and has to live with the consequences. Mark my words, Bak-chan, it's only a matter of time before you come begging me for advice."

"I rather beg in the streets," Bak muttered under his breath and he was not even joking. "No, it is impossible, end of story." To that, Komui smiled – a maddening perspective smile, as though he knew him better than he knew himself.

Then, something occurred to Bak.

"So, let me get this straight. For the sake of upgrade, you've disposed Fou's original vessel in favour for a new one that allows her to accept the increase of abilities and power better," he said, in an eerily calm voice that Komui didn't seem to notice. "In the interim, you also employed the artistic service of General Tiedoll in this endeavour and both of you created a brand new body for her, a teenage body from the looks of it."

"Eighteen years old to be exact. That's how Miss Fou will look when she's eighteen, well, in terms of human age of course," Komui corrected. "Took you long enough to realise but I believe you're finally on the right track," he smiled as he stood up to pat his friend's shoulder on the back.

"But did it ever occur to you that she needed a wardrobe change as much as she needed the new body?" Bak asked, toneless. Komui paused, and then slowly pulled his hand back. "Never crossed your mind, did it?"

"No and well... I also didn't think it was such a good idea," he admitted, sounding sheepish for the first time.

"And you thought it was a good idea to let her gallivant around less than appropriately clothed in a male-dominated building?" he asked through a clenched jaw.

"Shhh, not so loud! Some of the men might be offended," Komui hushed, squirming nervously with a finger on his lips. "Well, not really. I just thought it'd be nice if she kept some of the original features of your great grandfather's design. You know, like some kind of honourable homage to his memory."

"You call letting her run wild in a state of semi-undress to be homage to my great grandfather?" he growled, his body trembling like a volcano on the brink of explosion.

"Well, I couldn't think of anything else and the clothes were pretty much the only thing we could afford to keep. Not to mention, she's been wearing them for so long that it has practically become synonymous with her identity—just like you and your silly cap!"

If Bak's anger were to materialize in visible form at that very moment, he would be billowing wafts of black smoke through his nostrils and streams of fire between his teeth.

"Besides, there's no harm in showing a little skin, especially when one happens to be an eighteen years old sexbomb!" Komui winked playfully.

And that was, shall we say, the final nail to the coffin. Inevitably, the last of Bak's restraint dispersed into the air – forget the scalpel, forget the saw – he did something he knew he should have done years ago.

With all his might, he punched Komui in the face.

000

Two unconscious men and pieces of a broken Komurin were brought to the infirmary much later on stretchers, led by a rather weary-looking Reever.

With hidden rage, the Matron slammed a hard fist to the table, shattering the furniture. "Why I never!"

000

**A/N:** I am never writing anything of this ungodly length again. Never. (but it was so fun) NEVER.

Look at the draft of your next chapter.

... D: (meep!)


	5. Dressed to Kill

**A/N:** Hello there. Long story short, life ate me alive and spit out my bones. I have been writing this chapter on and off since my last update and I'm just glad to be able to get it out of my system. With that said, I'd really like to dedicate this chapter to the few readers who had been very supportive and had not given up on this story despite the inconsistent updates.

I hope you'll continue enjoying this story. As usual, reviews are always welcomed and loved :)

oo0oo

Walk the World

- Chapter IV -

Dressed to Kill

oo0oo

In the private ward of the Headquarter's infirmary, Bak had a revelation.

Granted, it wasn't an earth-defining revelation or anything worth recording in history books, it was still a revelation no less.

If there was one thing worse than being admitted into a hospital twice in a day, it was being confined into the same ward with Komui. And if there was anything worse than being stuck with Komui in the same room, it was to be stuck with a wailing, crying Komui.

Crying a fountain would be an understatement, the man was crying enough tears to flood the Sahara desert. It also didn't help matters when he was bawling his sorrow with a voice piercing enough to shatter glass and eardrums. Incidentally, it was that very same horrible boo-hooing which had woke him up in the first place and no matter how much Bak tried, he was unable to muffle out the incessant weeping that was threatening to deafen him permanently and drive him over the edge of his sanity.

"I wish Lenalee could come and rescue me from this horrid, horrid man," Komui sobbed through a cracking voice, his waterworks at full blast. "This horrible toad of a man!"

The only redeeming quality of this whole mess was that, perhaps, by a stroke of luck, Lenalee might drop in to visit her brother. Quite unlikely but Bak could always hope, especially in the light of the recent events, a series of ill-fated disasters that landed him in the hospital twice in a day. On the other hand, knowing the strong bond the Lee siblings shared, Bak feared that the young lady would be extremely cross with him when she finds out that he had intentionally hurt her beloved brother. Fearless as he was, being in her bad books was the last thing he wanted but surely, brilliant as she was, she would realise he was the true victim.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Lenalee is unavailable? She's out on a mission and won't be back for another two weeks!" Reever's immensely pissed voice boomed through the receiver, crushing all of Bak's false hopes. "If you are lucky enough, she might be back after you've returned from the Vatican but if I were you, I won't bother getting my hopes up."

"I don't care, I want my Lenalee, my beloved baby sister!" he cried stubbornly and blew his nose on his blanket, wiping his tears away with his sleeve. Bak cringed inwardly: have the man ever heard of tissue paper, or even basic hygiene? Obviously not! "She's my darling, my eternal sunshine, my sole comfort in this cruel world and I need her, _right now_!"

The phone went dead.

"Your mother will be ashamed of you, Reever!" Komui shouted to the dead phone. Out of spite, he dropped the receiver into his jug of water, watching it sink, sizzle and explode with much gratification. He then looked up and gazed longingly at what Bak could only presume as the full moon and began muttering loudly to himself. "People of the Black Order are heartless I tell you. Heartless, mean, grumpy, cold-blooded monsters with not even an ounce of kindness in their heart! For once, I did a good deed, slaved sleepless nights to help a fellow comrade, and what did I get – a handshake, a word of thanks, a promotion, some flowers – no, all I get is a handful of fists to my face, _without provocation_, mind you. And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, I'm deserted by my own trusted subordinate to the dreadful company of that very same beast, no, demon of a man. Oh, such a cruel world!"

Generally speaking, Bak was not one to usually resort to physical violence and unlike many of his peers – Renny, Reever and even to an extent Komui – he had even refused to carry a weapon, not even on the grounds of self-protection. If anything, he was a true advocate of peace, of harmony, of civilized solutions that did not involve a fistfight, a metal defender and consecutive trips to the infirmary.

Komui was the only exception. He certainly deserved what he got.

But honestly, what Komui went through was _nothing _compared to what Bak suffered later.

In fact, it was so dreadful that Bak could remember nothing more than the activation process of a certain metallic protector. Everything else would have to be attributed to memory loss out of trauma.

All things considered, it was fair to say that Bak was less than impressed to discover that he had to room with the Supervisor for the night and after putting up with Komui's ongoing tears for more than a good deal of an hour, Bak decided that he had enough of the nonsense. Fuelled with wrath fit for an angry god, Bak had picked up the nearest item to him: his big, fluffy pillow and lunged it at the back of Komui's head, in more or less the same manner which Zeus would have employed while smiting Titans with his lightning bolts. To his satisfaction, it bounced right off the Supervisor's head and landed on the floor with a thud.

"Could you stop snivelling and be quiet?" Bak snarled, glaring holes at the back of Komui's head. Slowly, the taller man turned around, revealing a pair of puffy eyes, dirty lines of tears and, Bak cringed, a long trail of snot hanging precariously from his nose.

"How could you do this to me? Even my own mother had never laid a finger on me!" he sniffed, rubbing his head woefully. Suddenly, Komui picked up his pillow and blew his nose forcefully on it. Then, to Bak's horror, threw it towards his direction. Fortunately for him, either Komui's misty eyes were affecting his vision or he generally had poor aim, the pillow completely missed its intended target and instead landed beside him.

"'Tis no wonder you turned out to be a social misfit," the Branch Chief huffed, retrieving the pillow and flinging it back at the Supervisor. He didn't want any mucus-infested pillows near him, especially not those that belonged to the annoying Supervisor. It was probably dirty as it was contagious. "I'm doing your parents a favour!"

"I don't need a midget to play parent for me. Since I can hardly _look up_ to him," he sneered, tossing the same dirty pillow back. This time, there was a slight improvement as he managed to graze his opponent's arm.

"Don't flatter yourself. You are the last person in the world that I would want to be associated with. A dolt like you wouldn't even qualify to shine my boots, let alone be a member of the distinguished Chang clan."

"Oh you, you brute! You are mean and rotten to the core!" wailed Komui dramatically as he gathered his pillow with both hands and hurled it forcefully at Bak again. Against all odds, the flying pillow hit its target squarely on the face with a loud smack. Komui swallowed meaningfully and squeaked, "Oops."

"You asked for it," Bak growled as the pillow slid down to reveal his vengeful face.

And thus the two men, who were obviously not in their best state of mind, decided to resolve their differences with a full scale pillow fight. At first, only barrage of pillows were catapulted from all directions but soon enough, anything handy within the room was dragged into the wild foray: sheets, trays, jugs, hot water bottles, bedpans, even mattresses. War cries were heard amidst the burst of feathers.

All too soon, a loud voice rang through the room. "Cease this nonsense immediately!"

Instantly, they stopped in their tracks, pillows held high over their heads in mid-action. Colour drained from their faces and together they swallowed as a long shadow swathed over them. If the voice didn't give them a clear idea of who the person at the door was, the thin silhouette certainly did. No guesses, here was _the_ woman who could even manhandle Kanda by pulling his ear.

"It's long past midnight, what do you two think you were doing?" she shouted and with one quick glance, she surveyed their room. The ward, which had obviously seen better days, was in a deplorable state, resembling the aftermath of gruesome war zone. Anything that could be broken was broken, anything that could be twisted was twisted and nothing, with the exception of the heavy bed frames, was intact. "For shame, two grown men behaving worse than babies!"

"He started it!" they chorused, pointing accusingly at the other.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it," she roared, shaking a fist at their faces. In two large strides, the Matron was standing next to them, giving both of them menacing glares. Then, without warning, she reached down for their ears and pulled them upwards until tears were peeking from the corner of their eyes. "If I hear but one more sound from either one of you, even a tiny squeak, I'll have you both_ quartered _in the asylum! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Madam!" they cried, between streams of 'ouch', 'let go', 'you witch' while holding themselves up to ease the excruciating pain.

"Good, now clean up this mess and go to bed!" she released them and they fell into an undignified pile on the floor. Like obedient school children, both men bobbed their heads and dived into the mess, racing to clean up the ruined room as fast as they could while the Matron stood over them, watching every move with her boots poised and ready to kick them if they tried to stop.

After some time, when the room was restored to its former glory, or at least as close to it as possible, she released a loud harrumph and went out of the door, slamming it behind her. Scooting together, they pressed their ears to the door, straining to hear her footsteps fading away from the corridor.

"That was so much fun!" Komui giggled softly as soon as the last sound disappeared. It was obvious that he was deliberately ignoring the Matron's warning about keeping silent. Being the more sensible of the two – or some would say, less daring – Bak scrambled away for safety.

"Excuse me?" Bak hissed lowly, once he was assured that he was safely distanced at the other end of the room. While Komui might feel comfortably at home in an asylum with lunatics, Bak had no intention of being locked up with him. "With all due respect, hurling pillows at one another could hardly be considered as entertainment. Not to mention, you and I had long past that age!"

"You can go on ahead and act like some old lonely geezer as much you like but for me, I shall always be young at heart," he said in a high-pitch voice, clutching his heart passionately. Bak thought that if Komui's age were to be measured by his actions, he would be potentially stuck somewhere between an unruly child of five and a baby chimpanzee. "Still, it must have been years since I had my last pillow fight, I used to do it a lot when I was a child. Don't you have such fond memories too?" he continued.

"No, my childhood is more dignified and well-spent," Bak replied, his mind reminiscing the better times in his life where obnoxious, childish Supervisors didn't exist. Back then, Fou was his only source of misery but she didn't mistreat him too badly or brutalised him until he was much older. Ah, the good old days.

"Hmph! Sounds tragic," Komui muttered, standing up and making his way back to his bed.

Following suit, Bak returned to his bed as well but instead of jumping on it, like what the bespectacled evil was doing now, he just eased himself gently under the covers, propped up his pillow behind him and leaned back. He raised a hand to massage his shoulder, easing the weary muscles. Honestly, dealing with Komui was more tiring than running the Asian Branch alone. For awhile, there was no conversation between them, each man in his own thoughts and his were concentrated on a red haired brat.

After a long silence, Bak finally asked, "What are you going to do about Fou?"

"Nothing," Komui answered plainly without looking up. "I'm clearing my hands off her." He plopped on his pillow and dragged the blanket over his head, snuggled in deeply and clicked off his night lamp, shrouding himself in the dark. "She's all yours now."

"Wait just a second, Komui," Bak said, flustered. He had not expected to be cut off so soon and he was certainly not going to let Komui sleep until they sorted out the problem. "You can't just leave her as she is!"

"Why not?" came the muffled voice from beneath the covers. "I have done all I have set out to do. She received her upgrade, I've gained a fist to my face and you've earned two free trips to the infirmary on stretchers. Taking all that into consideration, I believe now is as good as any time to return her to you. I shall also make it clear that I shan't ever interfere in any of your business again. It's not worth the pain—you are not worth the pain."

The pain? Heaven's teeth, what did Komui know about pain? He certainly knew nothing about_ his_ pain. In fact, no one would, not unless they had lived twenty years with a guardian who had the permanent temper of an angry bull and still lived to tell the sordid tale, in which most of them would have probably gone mad half way unless they happened to be the Great Bak Chang.

"You are one to talk!" said the Great Bak Chang. "You only suffered a punch to the face, a mild bruising that even a baby wouldn't cry over. I was nearly butchered by your rampaging homicidal robot. If anything, I received the brunt of the whole deal, the burning end of the flames."

"Can't say you don't deserve it," Komui replied smugly and turned his nose up, sticking it into the air prominently. "Fine, but you broke my Komurin, so that makes us even!"

"Nothing is even between us," he said through gritted teeth. "And no, I will not take her back, not until she's presentable!"

"Presentable?" Komui gasped and sprung up on his bed, turning to face him, his eyes flared wide. "What are you talking about? Are you telling me now that you are not satisfied with her? After all that I've done, all we've been through. Have I not told you that it was entirely your own fault for not paying more attention to her? Have you not admitted to it as well? You have no rights to deny her now!"

"Those are your words, not mine, I've said nothing of the sort," Bak answered sharply, barely concealing his anger.

"Then what are we talking about?" Komui asked as he sat up and regarded him seriously for the first time in the whole night. "You confound me, Bak-chan. I can't even begin to make heads or tails of what you are saying, one minute you're banging at my door demanding to have her back, the next minute you are shoving her back to me. Honestly, I'm finding it very hard to understand you."

Sometimes, Bak swore that Komui's brain was as just thick as the metal in Komurin's head and probably just as hard. There's no other scientific explanation for the man's limitless stupidity. "Then, for the sake of your woefully dysfunctional brain, I shall put this in simpler terms," Bak paused and drew in a deep breath, "I insist that you change her attire!"

There was a long pause between them and the air seemed to have stood still. Gone was the frivolous expression on Komui's face to be replaced by an unreadable expression, the sort that one usually find in the eyes of old portraits after staring at it for too long, silent and undiscerning. Somehow, the lack of glasses in Komui's face unnerved him.

"Why?"

"Why? I'll tell you why, because it is too scanty, that's why!"

"Miss Fou has no objections!"

"_Miss_ Fou has no sense of propriety either!"

"That's rude and very unkind of you," Komui said in a reprimanding tone, wrinkling his nose in disgust with his hands on his waist like a motherhen. "You shouldn't speak of her like that, you might hurt her feelings."

"I'll hurt you if you refuse to change it," Bak warned, throwing his covers off to reveal a set of clenched fists. He had smashed Komui's glasses earlier, this time, he'll make sure he break the man's nose as well. This was not an empty threat.

"_Oh_, you are such a _prude,_" Komui cried passionately, throwing his hands up into air. He curled his lips petulantly and looked away.

"I am not, you dolt!" Bak argued, slightly peeved at being disregarded like that. "I just happen to understand the fine line between being fashionable and downright scandalous."

Lady or no, no respectable woman should ever appear publicly dressed like that. And certainly no women of the Chang clan! Fou might not technically be one – not unless she hooked up with one of his stupid cousins – but that still didn't exclude her from the rule, which was even more applicable now that she's an adult.

At any rate, Bak didn't care, Fou was going to change her outfit if he had to personally sew every stitch on her.

"Or maybe you are just placing priorities in the wrong places?" Komui volunteered, questioning his motive. He placed a finger under his chin in a contemplative manner and gave the situation some thought. After a while, he shook his head slowly. "No, I still don't think we should proceed without Miss Fou's permission. After all, it is her attire, I think we should listen to what she has to say."

"Her permission is not required. She has foregone that privilege when she took up with you and I don't trust her enough to let her make any more decisions on her own. From now on, I'll decide what's best for her and I would be doggone if I let her trundle around looking like some…_ what's so funny_?"

"Pfft! Do you know what you sound like? You sound exactly like—," Komui said between fits of laughter. Aware of the implications, Bak bit his lip and then kicked the Supervisor's bed as hard as he could until the man almost fell off. "Ouch! I was just kidding, why do you have to be so violent and serious about everything?"

"Mind you, I don't fancy my reputation being compromised and hauled through the muck over and over again," he warned, his face livid.

All in all, he was getting pretty sick of people making assumptions about their relationship, never mind that Komui was spreading unfounded rumours and fuelling everyone's mind with the wrong ideas. Frankly, Bak's relationship with Fou was something that even he couldn't define properly. Professionally, they were master and guardian, historically, they were more akin to a nanny and her charge, occasionally, they fought like dysfunctional siblings but personally, Bak had always thought that they were more like a pugilist and a damaged punching bag... with him being the latter.

However, one thing was certain was that the last he checked, they weren't lovers.

And Hell would freeze over_ twice_ before that ever happens.

"Komui, while I know this doesn't apply to you, it's an acknowledged fact that 'clothes make the person' and as the commanding officer of the Asian Branch, it is my duty, my responsibility, my _noblesse oblige_ to maintain a respectable image and uphold a flawless reputation."

"Oh please, spare me! No offence Bak-chan but you are hardly a fashion statement yourself," Komui pointed out. Now, Bak must have looked decidedly murderous because Komui switched the subject almost immediately. "Look, changing her attire is not as easy as it seems. Unlike humans, she can't just strip off what she's wearing and put on a new one. Miss Fou's clothes are part of her and to change it, we'll have to revisit the fundamentals of her system and alter it from the core of her being. Frankly, I'm not sure if I'm in mind to subject Miss Fou to undergo another bout of transformation so soon, it'll be a terribly hideous task for the both of us!"

"I don't care how difficult it's going to be. You _owe _me that much!" Bak snarled, his patience at its breaking point. He pointed a finger rudely at Komui, anger visible in his face. "You have one day to attend to this matter or God help me, I will cripple your ability to visit the Vatican City or anywhere else!" he said, pulling his finger back and swishing his free arm around threateningly.

"Be reasonable now!" Komui pleaded, putting up tortured look only to receive a firm glare in return. The taller man pouted, lips quivering but he managed to suppress his tears. "You are a terrible slave driver, Bak-chan, I swear you are. I don't know how I put up with you all the time."

"I guarantee you the feelings are mutual. So, are we agreed or do I have to roughen up your other cheek to make my point?" he threatened, punching a fist into his palm loudly, feeling incredibly trigger-happy. He didn't understand why Komui couldn't just agree to it but he didn't have the patience to find out either.

"You are just so despicable!" he hissed, tossing his curly hair to show his distaste. "Very well, I'll do as you ask but under two conditions. First, if you wish to alter the garments that she's wearing, you will have to find means to draw the plans of her new outfits. I may be a man of many talents but I must admit that I am no couturier. Secondly, I shall execute this project only if Miss Fou agrees to it. I don't know how are you going to do it but you'll have to make great effort to convince her."

Bak smiled confidently. "Trust me, I'll make her nod to my orders."

"Who cares about your orders?" said a voice as the door tore open, revealing a rather displeased gatekeeper. At the sight of her, both men released a high pitch scandalized shriek and drew their blankets up to their chest. Jabbing her forefingers into her ears, she yelled back. "For God's sake, stop screaming! You two are acting like sissies."

"Fou, get out!" Bak ordered, dragging his blanket up to his chin. "This is the men's ward, you are not supposed to be here!"

"Shut up, I didn't live a hundred years to take orders from you!" she told him off.

"No, you lived a hundred years just so you can exist to torment me!" he cried back.

"True, it's a good life," she agreed easily, flashing him a playful wink that was almost unnoticeable before reverting it back to a frown. "Anyway, I can go anywhere I like and I don't have to answer to anyone, especially you."

"Yes, but what are you doing here in the middle of the night, Miss Fou?" Komui asked politely, lowering his blanket.

Until then, Bak hadn't the faintest idea of the time but he reckoned, or at least his inner biological clock suggested that it was a time that most people, including himself, ought to be deep in bed and sucking their thumbs. Personally, that had been the case for him until he was unceremoniously brought back to reality by Komui's air raid siren wail. This had left him briefly wondering why Komui and Fou were so wide awake...

Oh right, because Evil never sleeps.

"Can't sleep," she answered sharply, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand, then she put it down and gave Komui a baleful glare. "And this is all your fault. You programmed my power system to be more lasting, so that means lesser time to recharge and more working hours." While Fou was complaining, she didn't sound angry… just annoyed.

"If that's the case, why don't you put your energy into something more productive?" Bak suggested, less kindly than Komui.

"Nope, scaring the pants off you is more fun," she said, declaring her real intentions.

Grinning, Fou slipped into the chair next to his bed, something which was relatively fine for him until she suddenly threw her legs on his bed. What more, Bak's eyebrows nearly hit the roof when she stretched her long legs and locked her ankles while leaning back on her arms, attempting to make herself comfortable. It might not be her intention but she was definitely giving him an exquisite view of her body: her slender legs, her creamy skin, the soft curve of her waist, the...

Oh. No.

Bak could almost feel his great grandfather turning in his grave!

Being Fou, however, she was blissfully oblivious to the situation, _his_ situation and the little clothing she had on, well, it didn't help much either.

His immediate reaction was to push her legs off the bed—in which he did, rather roughly too if he might say and to his relief, the contact wasn't enough cause his hives to burst out. However, on second thoughts, it was probably the wrong thing to do. Bak swore that he hadn't meant to be rude or actually kick her legs away and it was just a knee-jerk reflex that he really couldn't control.

Cross his heart, he would have done the same for any girl. Well, any girl with so little clothing anyway.

Now, while he and Fou might share some telepathic link, it was obvious that her thoughts didn't mirror his this time as her initial reaction was to stare at him in shock, as though she couldn't believe that he actually had the _guts _to push her away. What followed after was more predictable: a pair of dangerously curled lips, the clenching of fists, one large step that closed the space between them and, expectedly, a powerful kick to the side of his bed which sent him crashing painfully into the wall.

"What is your problem?" she yelled, glaring him with such intensity that Bak was actually scared. She was trembling, anger flashing in her eyes and it would only be a matter seconds before the next blow descended on him and this time, Bak was sure he would end up on the _other_ side of the wall.

However, he would rather sail through ten walls than admit to anything.

"Your mudcaked boots," he replied lamely, inclining his head at her feet, hoping she would take the bait. Her brows curved upwards and she lowered her gaze to her boots, scratching her head a little when she realised its filthy condition. Finally, she revert her attention back to him, her hard features softened slightly.

"You know, a few germs ain't going to kill you, you stupid Bakteria," she huffed as she moved forward. Right, a few germs might be harmless but a punch from her right now would certainly deliver him to his deceased forefathers. Instinctively, Bak raised both his arms to protect his head from the forthcoming attacks and he _almost _screamed when he felt his body lurched forward. Glancing down, he realised that she had slotted her hands under his bed and with one swift motion pulled it back into place. She dusted her hands and slouched back in the chair, keeping her legs on the floor this time. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"I _was_ recuperating, but now that you are here, I think no longer," he answered, throat feeling rather parched. Realising he was staring again; he looked up immediately and tossed a nasty glare at Komui, who had been watching their exchange from the sidelines with great interest. Bak swore that the man was practically one breath away from munching popcorn, if he had any, as he watched the drama unfold.

"Oh well, sucks to be you," she said, shrugging absently as she looked over her shoulder at the room's other patient. "How about you, Komui?"

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Fou. I'm feeling quite better now even though my cheek still feels rather raw," he replied with a sweet smile, rubbing his cheek. "I'd never expect Bak-chan to be able to pull an uppercut like that. Looks can be so deceiving, now I believe it."

"He got it from me. I practically taught this sissy how to be a man," she said, unhooking her legs. She stood up and wandered over to Komui, placing a hand on his face and turning it sideways to check his injury. Watching them, Bak clenched his jaw, deeply unsettled: Fou had never been so gentle with him and he knew her longer. Well, not that he wanted her to touch his cheek or anything since the last time she actually did, she was pinching him and it almost resulted in him losing half his face. "That is a nasty bruise. Looks like those free sparring lessons I gave him all these years wasn't a waste after all."

"Sparring lessons!" Bak shouted. "More like outright abuse. The torture I suffered in your hands would put the Spanish Inquisition into shame. Tell me Fou, what have you against me?"

"How about your mere pathetic existence?" she answered without looking at him. "Something that I would gladly remove if you don't shut up, so if you know what's good for you, zip it!"

"You know," Komui started, drawing their attention back to him as he moved his cheek away from her palm. He had a cheerful smile as though unaware of the growing tension in the room. "I'd really like to join in the conversation and all but my eyes could no longer resist the temptation of slumber. So, if you don't mind, I'm turning in for the day but please, feel free to continue your conversation without me as I'm sure you have a lot to catch up. And if all goes well, I shall see _you two _in the morning."

Before either one of them could answer, Komui drew the curtains that separated their bay areas. A brief silence reigned in the room as master and guardian regarded each other quietly until Komui suddenly poke his head between the curtains and smiled. "Also, a word of advice to you, Bak-chan, you'll attract more bees with honey than vinegar."

With that, Komui vanished out of sight and Bak soon found himself in an awkward silence with Fou. A situation which was quite foreign to them as they were more accustomed to the practice of trying to outshout each other and tranquillity only ever happens when one of them (specifically Bak) ends up unconscious. Not knowing how to break the rare silence, Bak sat back with a distressed expression while Fou chose to occupy herself by tipping her chair backwards, propping it on two feet and testing how far she could go before the chair fell off completely.

Eventually, Bak cleared his throat.

"Pleasant evening, Fou," he said, barely concealing a wince. For sure that must had been the lamest conversation opener to ever escape his throat. Not to mention, it was probably closer to dawn than dusk by now.

Her arched eyebrow indicated that she wasn't impressed.

"It _was _a pleasant evening, but now that you are here, I think no longer," she replied, hurling his words back at him. She let the chair dropped back on all fours and set her feet on the ground firmly, ready to stand. "Look, let's just cut with the small talk and get to the point, okay. If you want me out, just say so and I'll be on my way."

He was surprised at her hostility and even more by the fact that she was heading out of the room, and without thinking, his hand shot out and caught hers, keeping her in place. "No, I don't want you out. In fact, I'd very much like to speak with you."

"I don't know, your idea of a conversation with me usually involves a crazy amount of shouting and insulting. And ever since I got this new form, you've been nothing but nasty," she replied, attempting to shrug his hand off. He tightened his grip and she stared at him, probably wondering if she should punch him.

"I'll put on my Sunday manners for you," he offered earnestly, donning his best charms and smiles, one that usually got him where he wanted to be. "Will you stay?"

He tugged at her hand lightly a few more times, imploring her to sit. She responded by making a little annoyed sound but nevertheless, she sat herself on his bed. "Well, it's not like I have anything else to do right now. Everyone is asleep and Won is still out there somewhere trying to fix his torn shirt. Sheesh, from the way he was crying over it, you'd think he only had one shirt!"

That was probably untrue since Won was always adequately prepared, be it rain, sun or snow. But then again, the man did possess a history of being prone to panic attacks and was quite quick on the waterworks, so what she had just said was not really such a stretch of imagination. Well, whatever it was, now more than ever seemed like a good time for Bak to bring up the subject that had been brimming on the tip of his tongue since he laid eyes on her.

"Speaking of clothes, how do you feel about yours, Fou?" he asked quickly, trying not to concentrate too much attention on her clothes. It was unbecoming, ungentlemanly for him to stare at a young woman so severely under-dressed. Yes, even if said person couldn't be bothered if she dressed like a modern cavewoman.

"What? This?" she asked, pointing at herself with a slightly surprised expression. "Well, you've never heard me complain about it before, right? Unlike you, I'm not a clothes horse. I could care less about what I wear as long as it doesn't get in the way. Anyway, why do you ask?"

"Because I was just wondering that, well, perhaps you would, uhm, consider a new set of clothes to go with your new form?" he coughed, trying to string his sentences properly. "Perhaps, something more, let's say, befitting for your new condition?"

Good grief, he was acting like some kind of bumbling fool with speech impediments. Where had his well-honed, skilled silver-tongue disappeared to? Bak was quite positively sure he had one before he left China. Luckily, for all his stunted speech and poor excuses, Fou didn't seem to notice... or more like she never cared much for his eloquence.

"I don't think so, I'm happy enough with my old clothes. Besides, I've been wearing this since day one, way before you or your father were born and I think it fits me and my personality just fine. They are stuck to me like a second skin and...," she paused and shrugged, "... well, I'm happy enough that Curly didn't choose to get rid of it."

Oh bollocks, this was going to be harder than he thought. Of all the things, he had not considered the possibility of Fou being fondly attached to her old attire. He had thought that since she didn't think twice about changing her appearance, she wouldn't have cared much about keeping her clothes either. No, he must steel his resolve.

"Hey, is this some kind of ploy to get me to change my clothes?" she asked suspiciously and Bak's mouth crooked into a weak grin. Trust her to see right through him. There was no point in lying to her now so he nodded gingerly and pinched his eyes shut, ready to take a blow from her. He waited quietly, patiently for a punch that never came. Slowly, he forced open one eye and realised that Fou was watching him strangely, her features hardened into an emotion that he couldn't quite interpret. After a long silence, she finally said scathingly, "I knew it was too good to be true when you said you wanted to talk to me."

"No, I meant it when I said I would like to catch up with you. But with so little time at hand, I would prefer to address more important matters first," he explained quickly, trying to assure her. A violent Fou he could deal with but her reaction—her quiet dismay in him was scaring him witless.

"Oh really, I never knew you placed such high priority in trying to get me out of my clothes," she said sarcastically, unimpressed. To his credit, Bak managed to retain a straight face, except for the tint of deep red in his ears, but nevertheless, he sorely wished she had rephrased her words. "Is this about me or is this about you?" she demanded.

"It's about all of us," he admitted rather meekly. "Personally, I'm rather surprised that no one has walked straight into a pillar yet. You probably won't realise this but your outfit can be very distracting, especially now that you are no longer a child but a woman of full-bloom."

"You don't seem distracted."

"I'm different." Not quite, but there were certain things that Fou _didn't_ need to know. "Still, this is no longer an issue of practicality, this has become a matter of appropriateness. One may turn a blind eye to many things when you possessed a child's body but now that you've mature physically, some degree of propriety have to be observed," he told her patiently, willing her to understand. Heaven help him, he never expected to have this sort of conversation so soon, not until he actually had a teenage daughter of his own. "Look, I'm just asking what others would have done if they were in my shoes and I'm sure if my great grandfather were here, he'd agree with me too."

"Well, your great grandpa was a much more easy-going chum than you are." In some way, he had to agree with her, considering what a social rebel Fou turned out to be, Bak did not doubt that his _chummy_ ancestor held a light rein... or no rein at all on her upbringing. For all the good it had done, now he was stuck bearing the cross for a lifetime. "Fine, if I change my clothes, what do I get in return?" she asked suddenly.

"Fou, I've suffered so much for you and you still dare make demands of me?" he wailed in manner quite similar to Komui, his shoulders slumping heavily.

"I didn't ask you to do it. Don't blame me for your fights," she warned, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you are the reason why I was hospitalized twice in a single day," he said, aggrieved. "My fight with Komui might be my own making but the kick to my face this morning, well, that was quite uncalled for if you ask me. My jaw is still reeling from the pain."

"Yeah, you sure can talk a lot for someone who got his jaw dislocated," she pointed out. She shifted herself on his bed to move closer and peered at him from the base of his chin. Conscious of their proximity, Bak sat extremely still and stared straight ahead, afraid to move his face as she studied him. They were so close that Bak could feel her warm breath on his skin. After a lengthy, careful observation, she finally said, "Does it still hurt?"

Great, now she's being sarcastic. That was like asking him if he was devilishly handsome or helplessly infatuated with Miss Lenalee. "Of course it does, almost as bad as the time you knocked out my tooth." Back then, she had said she was helping him with his toothache. Right, as if he was ever going to believe that.

"If I remember correctly, you said you'd rather die than see a dentist. I was just fixing your little problem in the fastest way I could," she reminded him smugly with an air of superiority. "You never did thank me for it. All you did was cry."

"You can hardly expect me to express my gratitude to someone who had just smashed my face," he muttered under his breath. "Anyone would break into tears if they were kicked in the face, save maybe you."

"That's because I'm not a pansy like you. I don't cry over every little thing." Right, it was just like Fou to bring out the past and rub it in his face. But honestly, he had to admit that he had never seen her shed so much as a single of drop of tear in all his years of knowing her. No, not even when she was fighting the Level-3 and beaten half to death. Come to think of it, she probably didn't even have functioning tear glands. "Okay, I'll do it," she added.

"There you see, I was right all along, you'll never agree to it, you...," he paused, jaw slacking, surprise written all over his face. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said okay," she repeated slowly, like a frustrated mother to her son.

"Are my ears deceiving me?" he asked, gazing at her dumbly. What? No insults? No objections? No disfigurement to his handsome face? "But why?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Well, if it'll get you to shut your trap for good, I don't see what's so bad about it," she answered, humourless. "I mean, if an ugly frog like you gets to change clothes every day, I don't see why I can't change a set of new clothes once in a century. I'll probably look better than you ever could."

"So, you are fine with it?" Bak asked again, just to be sure. His lips quivered; a radiant smile threatened to burst through his face.

"Yes and you better get it done before I change my mind," Fou answered with a tone of finality.

000

Naturally, Bak was on the phone the instant Fou left the room. Thanks to the Supervisor, the only phone in their room had sunk into a jar of water, which left him no choice but to locate another one outside the room. It took a little effort but he managed to hobble out of his bed and drag himself to the common room where he found a little phone hanging on the wall. Looking left and right and assured that no one was around, he lunged for the phone like a man reaching for a lifeline.

Fishing out a fluttering golem from his pocket, an upgraded version that he had yet to unveil to the Headquarters, he connected the device to the phone with relative ease. He smirked to himself as he praised his ancestors, his genetic code and his brilliant, _bedazzling_ mind. It took only a little while before he finally managed to locate the man he was looking for.

General Froi Tiedoll.

Only then he knew he made a mistake.

"I am so pleased that you sought me out," Tiedoll cried in heavily accented French over the phone after Bak told him his request. It would seem that Bak's request had unintentionally wakened the inner French soul in the General and perhaps, burst a few tear glands in between. "Honestly, I haven't been so happy since Yu let me comb his hair and that was so long ago. Oh, _mon cœur_, this is _splendide,_ _magnifique!_ True art is so overlooked these days!"

Scratch that, Bak knew he made a _big_ mistake.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, General Tiedoll," he answered, a little unsure. Well, big mistake it might be but if this man could solve his problem, Bak would gladly bear all the consequences. "So, uhm, when can I receive your designs? Would this afternoon be a good time for you?" he asked hopefully.

A hearty laugh was his only reply.

"Oh, you are very amusing, _Monsieur_ Bak." There was more laughter and Bak grind his teeth loudly in frustration. "And very impatient too," the General continued with good humour, "but I'm afraid I shall be unable to oblige for _c'est impossible_ even for a General like me. Do not be mistaken, I would gladly spread my canvas for your sake but these things take time."

"How _much_ time?"

"Oh, _je ne sais pas_, it might take a little while...," the General trailed off and Bak held his breath unconsciously, waiting for the answer, "... roughly about _trois mois_."

"Three months!"

"_Oui, c'est la mode, mon cher garçon_," he affirmed. "Although, it might take longer than that. I would have to see _Mademoiselle_ Fou with my own eyes before making any necessary amendments. I dare not risk otherwise, _mon ami_, and I'm sure more than anything in _le monde_, you would like to have your lady friend look her very best, _oui_? Beauty is, after all, not something to be trifled with. _Comprenez-vous_?"

Bak didn't believe he could wait another hour, let alone three months and this time, it was definitely not about him being impatient. While Tiedoll prattled on about how beautiful Fou would look in lavender and that it would be nice if she would let her hair down, Bak was wondering how he could disentangle himself from the mess without offending the General. Realising that there was no way to go about it without wasting a few hours; Bak did what he believed to be the most sensible thing at that time.

He disconnected the golem.

While what he just did might put him in the bad books of General Tiedoll, he decided that involving the man would be the biggest mistake he could make. Over the last couple of months, he had made enough bad decisions to last him a lifetime and he wasn't about to add another to the record, not if he could help it.

That said, who else could he turn to? Time was against him and Fou was a fickle brat… well, a woman with mercurial moods who might change her mind any minute.

He slumped onto the floor beside the phone and raked his hair in agitation, wondering who else would be able to save him. He was so desperate that he almost raised his voice and prayed for celestial interference, except that he didn't think that God would have bothered to spare an ear to his pleas.

God never did when it came to Fou.

Bak was on the verge of ramming his head into the wall out of frustration when he heard the door click open and a squeaky sound entering the room. He was about to tell the intruder to remove its presence when he realised it was, unmistakably, the sound of a wheelchair. Listening closely and peering over the chair, he saw Johnny guiding himself towards the window with a pencil on his ear and a sketchbook on his lap.

Suddenly, he felt that all his prayers had been answered.

000

"Good morning, Mr Gill," came a voice from the other side of room.

Recognising the voice, the first thing that struck Johnny's mind was to backpedal himself out of the room as fast as the two wheels could carry him. Oh, he would have ditched the chair and ran like the wind if it wasn't for the sprain on his ankle after fainting and tumbling down the stairs yesterday.

To begin with, his day had started off on the wrong foot when a nurse had roused him from sleep to deliver him an urgent message, one which had left him quite confounded. The message had carried specific instructions from Reever about the temporary relocation of the Science Division to a secluded area in the forest to avoid _potential hazards _that might occur during an important experiment. It was further stated in the note that Johnny should report himself in immediately upon receiving the message.

Of course, instead of doing as he was told, Johnny decided to be rebellious for once and had blatantly ignored his superior's orders. He had just recovered from a fall; surely he deserved a little rest. Seriously, Reever might be the best boss that one could have in the Black Order but he could be just so insensitive at times. With that thought in mind, he had left his stuffy ward for some fresh air, to clear his mind and had entered the first empty room he found.

Now, Johnny should have known better than to enter dark rooms alone, for it was common knowledge that dangers lurked in these places—dangers such as the Asian Branch Chief.

As with most humans, Johnny was not one to be gifted with premonition nor was he a soothsayer of any sort, heck he didn't even quite believe in the existence of ghosts, magic, horoscope reading or anything that was not scientifically proven with hard data to back it up but he could certainly recognise trouble when he saw one coming. Fast. Here was a man who couldn't look remotely friendly even if he tried and the creepy smile on the Branch Chief's face, well, that most definitely spelled 'TROUBLE' in big bold letters.

"I said 'Good morning, Mr Gill'," Bak repeated, his lips peeled back into a tight smile.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm not used to being addressed in that manner. Everyone around here just calls me Johnny," he explained with a laugh that sounded quite pathetic even to his own ears. "Yes, good morning to you too, Branch Chief Bak. You know, I just want to say that I'm really sorry for barging in on you. It's kind of dark in here and it's still so early that I wasn't quite expecting anyone to be around. But no worries, I was just about to leave," he said as his hands reached for the wheels and he spun the wheelchair around. He was halfway across the room when he realised he was rooted to the ground.

"No, do stay, I would certainly appreciate the company," Bak insisted, tightening his grip over the wheelchair handles and rolled him back into the room. It took all of Johnny's energy and courage not to scream for help. "I believe you came here to freshen up, am I right? It is indeed a beautiful morning so let us take a seat by the window and enjoy the view together. Here, let me help you for I'm sure it's rather inconvenient for you to move around, being shackled to a wheelchair and all."

Parking Johnny by the window, the Branch Chief took a seat in the chair opposite him, sliding in gracefully and _conveniently_ blockading all means of escape. Hugging his sketchbook to his chest tightly, Johnny trembled uncontrollably as he peered out the window. It was a long,_ long_ way down from there...

"May I have a look?" Bak asked suddenly, drawing Johnny's attention back to him. He gestured towards his sketchbook, eyeing it with the same sort of starving interest that a famished cat would have for a fish.

"Sure, why not but these are just rough sketches though," he said as he passed his sketchbook to the Branch Chief, eager to draw the attention away from himself, mostly out of safety than anything. Realising that he couldn't escape, he might as well make the best of the situation, though; he couldn't quite see how that was possible either.

Bak opened the book and began flipping through the pages, studying each page carefully, lingering a little longer among the girl uniforms, and even longer at Lenalee's dresses. Weird, why would the Branch Chief be interested in ladies clothing? Sure, the man had a reputation of being slightly queer in many... _many_ aspects and Johnny had only heard one too many tales of his eccentric whims and questionable hobbies but...

"These are unusually good," Bak said suddenly, cutting Johnny from his thoughts. He ran a hand lightly over the drawings. "I've heard that on top of being an extremely capable scientist, you also happened to be gifted in designing and that most of the Exorcist's uniforms were your handiwork."

Did the sun rose from the west this morning or was this some kind of sign that Armageddon was just around the corner? The ever-pompous, egoistic, holier-than-thou Asian Branch Chief flowering him with praises so freely? Good heavens, something was definitely wrong since everyone knew Bak was as stingy with praises as Allen was as stingy with money.

"Well, thank you," Johnny answered, not knowing what else to say that would not otherwise offend the Asian Branch Chief. "I'm not really that good but clothes designing are a hobby of mine." Johnny was lying of course. Designing was not just a hobby to him, it was practically his greatest passion.

"It's good for one to have a hobby, even better when one enjoys and excels in it. Personally, I'm rather fond of photography myself," Bak said with a diplomatic smile as he handed the book back to Johnny. "Well, I must say the Black Order could certainly do with more talented men like you."

"Jeez, thanks," said Johnny, slightly flushed and humbled, his cheeks growing pink.

He must admit that while he was spooked by the man's sudden kindness, he couldn't help but feel a little pride in being flattered so openly. Perhaps the Branch Chief wasn't so bad after all. Yes, he might be infamously short-tempered and overbearing, not to mention, cockier than a peacock, but everyone was subjected to their own personal faults, so maybe he should give the man another chance. Maybe.

"Well, I'm not much help to anyone but I'd do anything within my power to increase the chances of survival of our comrades who have to fight in the front lines," he added, a spark of pride in his expression.

"Anything?" Bak had asked, wetting his lips lightly.

"Yes, anything! They put their lives in line for us, the least we can do is provide them with as much assistance as possible," cried Johnny passionately.

Now, it was fair to say that Johnny regretted those words quite shortly after it left his mouth and if it was anatomically possible, Johnny would have booted himself a few times. For sure, the Branch Chief wasted no time in pouring out his grief and letting his plans be known—his plans of having Johnny redesign Fou's attire from an eye-popping scandalous affair to a more socially acceptable outfit that would not lead men to walk into pillars.

It didn't take him long to realise that he had been duped and had fallen into a trap.

The younger man didn't even have a chance to decline or even interrupt as Bak made it quite clear that he was in no position to do so, and if he did try to speak out of turn, he would be very sorry indeed. It might be Johnny's imagination but the Branch Chief spoke like a man who had everything in the world against him, and he was probably a few notches away from begging openly. In short, he sounded quite desperate.

And maybe that's why Johnny found himself sketching dresses quite happily some moments later. Yes, he didn't like the Branch Chief or his company or the fact that he was peering over his shoulder or even the fact that he was literally breathing down on his neck while he was working his way through some rough sketches. But, he had to admit, with a little less shame than was expected, that he did somewhat enjoy the task set upon him. It was not everyday that someone would come up to him willingly and commission him for a piece of costume, just like how most people would never tempt him into a fair game of chess. Still, while the Branch Chief might have tricked him into it; at least it was a task that he could enjoy.

Things could have been much worse.

"What about this?" he asked, displaying his finished piece proudly before the Branch Chief. He watched with satisfaction as the man's eyes widened in alarming surprise. "It's called Sweet Princess, the latest ladies fashion, decorated with pink frills, red hearts, puffy sleeves and a lacy umbrella. It's rather comfortable and stylish, if I may say, quite befitting for a girl her age."

"No."

Oh right, Johnny had forgotten about Fou's true age. Well, not that he knew anything about it and it would be too rude of him to enquire such information (because when it boils down to it, Miss Fou is still a lady—a questionable one she might be but still one no less). Not to mention, he reckoned it wasn't a small digit. Taking that into account, perhaps, he should have opted for something more sophisticated, more elegant... more womanly!

"Perhaps this?" he suggested, presenting another complete sketch. "Gothic Lady, dark and alluring, less sweet and a lot less ribbons."

"No."

Johnny frowned and chewed furiously at the end of his pencil. Or maybe he took the wrong approach—maybe the Branch Chief was looking for something more avant-garde, more unconventional, more... purposeful!

"What about Punk Queen?" he offered weakly, flashing another sketch at the Branch Chief's face, his enthusiasm dwindling at the man's glare. "It comes complete with spiky Mohawk hair and thorny accessories that can serve as weapons too!" he tried to reason.

Bak closed his eyes and palmed his hand over his face. "Are you doing this just to spite me?" he asked slowly.

It was a promise of swift death if Johnny ever said yes. "Certainly not, I won't ever dare but these are the latest fashions that everyone seems to be so fond of," Johnny explained, reviewing his own sketches. He didn't see anything wrong with it, in fact, it was quite fashionable. A little part of him was beginning to question the Branch Chief's taste in fashion. For sure, his silly-looking cap did nothing to improve his situation.

"Can we perhaps stick to something conservative, practical, simple, preferably easy to manoeuvre in because Fou has the grace of a gorilla and perhaps, if I'm not reaching for the stars, a touch of Chinese style in the design to satisfy me?" Bak suggested as politely as he possibly could.

Johnny gave a Bak a deadpanned look. "I don't do Orientals," he started but then thought twice about his answer when he saw the muscle twitching dangerously on the corner of Bak's mouth. "But—but that doesn't mean I won't try. I shall have to revisit my muse for inspiration, some research might be in order too and this might take some time—."

"You have only one night, no more, no less. I'll be leaving for the general meeting at the Vatican with the Supervisor on the morrow and I will have this completed before I'm gone," he informed with a forbidding tone. "I will not permit Fou running around inappropriately dressed any longer than she should."

"I understand how you feel." Actually, Johnny didn't but it just felt right to say it. "But it's impossible, Branch Chief, I must tell you now that I can't finish this, not with the little time I'm given! Unless, I take the rest of the day off but that's even more impossible than finishing this costume."

"Why is it impossible?"

"We have fieldwork this afternoon. The Science Division are always short on hands you see and Section Chief Reever will never permit me to waltz off just to design costumes, not when we are so busy. It's bad enough that there's so little of us – if I back out now, he's going to shoot me in the head, no joke. It would be fine if I find someone who can take my place but then again it has to be someone who's familiar with my line of work, finding a substitute in such a short notice will be quite impossible and—."

"Impossible, impossible, impossible! I say bah humbug! You would accomplish many more things if you did not think of them as impossible," he reprimanded in a self-righteous manner, annoyance clearly written all over his face. It would seem that the Branch Chief was not one to tolerate negativity among his juniors. Johnny was about to protest, when Bak said, "Enough excuses, I shall replace you this one time, any objections?"

A cloud of doubt amassed in Johnny's face. "You sure you can manage, Branch Chief Bak?"

"Are you questioning my abilities?" he asked, low and dangerous.

_No, but I do question your sanity, your temper and your self-destructive tendencies_. Of course, taking his personal safety into account, Johnny quelled his tongue. "Oh no, heck no, of course not, this is wonderful!" he lied, feeling quite sorry for his fellow scientists. He was quite positive that as short-handed as they may be, Reever would never ask the Branch Chief for any kind of assistance.

But then again, who was he to go against the Branch Chief's wishes.

"Of course it is, you lot should be thanking your lucky stars that I'm participating," he said haughtily. "I'll make an exception this once, but keep in mind that I'm not one to extend charity so freely."

"No doubt about that, I'm sure our Section Chief will be pleased," Johnny lied again.

000

"What are you doing here?" demanded Reever the moment he saw the Asian Branch Chief. He was so horribly surprised that he didn't even have the mind to address the man more politely.

Without a word, he threw an inquisitive glare at his subordinates. Someone must have invited him or accidentally disclosed their location as there was absolutely no way, no matter how great the Branch Chief claimed himself to be, would he ever find them without help. They were miles away from the main building, hidden deep inside a dense jungle—so deep that Reever was positively sure that no one would ever find them, not even with the guidance of a proper map, compass and seasoned tracker.

And yet, he found one of the greatest_ potential hazards _sauntering steadily towards them.

"I'm here to inform you that Johnny will not be joining you," he announced. He took in his surroundings and shook his head in disapproval, clearly not impressed. "His expertises are needed elsewhere and he has been given permission to take the day off."

"Johnny is my subordinate and I should be informed of such decisions beforehand," Reever said. So, it was Johnny who sold him out. His most trusted subordinate no less, what was the world coming to, he wondered. "Where is he?" Reever swore that he would turn Johnny into a shooting target when he gets his hands on him.

"He's with the Supervisor," the man replied sharply and strode past him, making a beeline for the head tent. Reever followed after him, trying to keep up with his pace. "Under my orders, any further questions?"

"No, that would explain everything," Reever answered, pausing for an instant. Some small part of him felt sorry for Johnny, another larger part of him still wanted to break Johnny's glasses and hang him by his toes. However, realising that the Branch Chief was approaching closer to the tent, he decided that Johnny's punishment was not nearly as important as the danger they were exposed to. "Well, I would like to thank you for taking the trouble to inform me of his absence. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an experiment to run."

"What are your plans for today?" Bak said as he randomly picked up a metallic globe and juggled it with one hand.

"Please don't touch that. Those are highly explosive materials," Reever revealed, easing a lump of air in his throat. "We are testing out the latest barriers, a new wall of magically-infused shields for the Headquarters."

"Excellent, just one of my many expertises. After all, my great grandfather did create one of the most impenetrable barriers in the Black Order and I happen take after him, being an expert, if not the best in the field. I do have to keep up the good name of my clan, if you get my drift," he gave the taller man a cocky smirk. "Now, aren't you glad that I'm here to provide assistance, to impart to you my intelligence?"

Instead of answering, Reever just wore a resigned smile. The Branch Chief might enjoy boasting but he never exaggerates and if he claimed to be the best in the business, it was probably true. With that said, Reever still didn't want his help. Still, it was not like anything he did would get rid the Branch Chief—the man was so dense that he probably wouldn't leave even if Reever chased him away with a flaming broomstick. Well, as long as he kept to himself and boast in a little corner, nothing would get out of hand.

"Now Branch Chief Bak, if you would just kindly step aside, we shall begin the experi—."

"Oh, you don't expect me to play the audience, do you now?" Bak cut him mid-sentence, shrugging off his arm. He grabbed one of the headphones and slipped it over his ear before anyone could stop him. Without Reever's permission, he began tinkering with the control panel: testing the switches, adjusting the handles, keying in statistics and doing all sorts of things that made everyone gape in horror. Did the man even know what he was doing? "I heard from Johnny that you were short in hands and my presence is as good as ten, maybe a hundred Johnnys. Also, I shall be taking command from here since you can hardly expect me to play the second fiddle to you. I am a Branch Chief after all."

"But!" Reever protested, placing himself in front of the equipments valiantly with his hands outstretched, barring the Branch Chief from moving any closer.

"Stand down, Reever," Bak ordered with a warning tone and stared at him straight in the eye. Slightly daunted, the Section Chief clamped his mouth, straightened and inched away reluctantly while holding the man's gaze. Once he was out of the way, Bak stepped up and spoke in a low but stern voice. "Questioning my authority amounts to insubordination and you do well to remember that."

And that was the beginning of a bad partnership.

000

**Meanwhile in the Black Order.**

"Oh, aren't the fireworks lovely tonight?" exclaimed Komui as he dropped whatever he was working on and ran towards the window to get a better view. He pressed his face to the glass excitedly, skipping like a child as he marvelled at the cloud of smoke and remarkable display of pyrotechnics glowing at a distance. Propping his head on his hands, he sighed dreamily, "I wonder what's the occasion?"

"Hey Komui," said Fou quietly, standing beside him as she held a palm over her eyes and squinted. "I don't think those are fireworks."

"Isn't that where the Science Division is?" Johnny asked, pushing up his glasses.

An ominous silence fell between them.

000


End file.
